


A Moonlit Pact

by lunaseemoony, naturalblues



Category: Doctor Who (2005), The Politician's Husband
Genre: Alternate Torchwood(s), Angst, Blood, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Queer Character, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Werewolf Bites, Werewolves, Werewolves in Heat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-08-18 20:24:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 34,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8174884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony, https://archiveofourown.org/users/naturalblues/pseuds/naturalblues
Summary: Aiden Hoynes, in an attempt to protect his pack from Torchwood 's anti-werewolf taskforce, attacks Rose Tyler. To save her life, he turns her. After beginning to learn what it means to be a wolf, how can she continue her father's work?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Content warnings for brief mentions of deaths prior to the fic, and non-graphic violence

Her feet - paws - left deep imprints in the cold and damp earth as panic rushed her through dark woods at breakneck speed. The tables had turned; hunter became hunted. She was now the enemy at the end of the barrel of her best friend's rifle. Time was not forgiving enough to allow her to really think about the ramifications of this situation. Her only salvation was her legs carrying her as swiftly as they could manage, weaving between trees and darting into cover to throw him off. While his only light was the thin slice of moonlight cast on the leafy forest floor, she could see perfectly in the dark. But in the end none of it was enough compared to advanced Torchwood weaponry. 

 

Rose's heart hammered at her chest, throbbed in her skull, and echoed in her ears after she shot up awake in a cold sweat. The sun's warmth spreading over the horizon gently tugged at her consciousness, peeking through her bedroom's bright cream curtains. Her clammy skin clung to the sheets before she peeled them off, exposing her bare arms to the lick of cool autumn air seeping in through the open window. No matter how chilly it made the room (it had been hot when she went to bed that night), she was grateful for it pulling her out of the hellish nightmare and into a therapeutically warm shower. 

 

Rose contemplated the dream over her mug of tea. Normally coffee was her breakfast's caffeinated companion since she needed her wits about her working for Torchwood, but that morning was yearning for a bit of calm and comfort. She made it just like her mum had, even if she didn't like how her mum made tea, simply for the warmth of a happy memory. The nightmare's message wasn't difficult to discern. A sudden uprise of guilt was having a go at her subconscious. 

 

The first few years of Rose Tyler's life were spent in a council estate flat as her parents struggled to make ends meet. Her dad jumped from job to job during the day and tirelessly worked on his health tonics idea at night. Her mum held down a job as a zeppelin flight attendant, but it didn't pay much and she hated how it kept her from her family. When Rose was five years old her dad's daft health tonics scheme actually took off, and the now formidable Vitex company was born, to her mum's surprise. A year later they moved out of their tiny flat and into a sizable mansion that only her mum ever truly appreciated and felt comfortable in. When Rose was twenty years old one of her dad's old business partners John Lumic unleashed his cybermen on London, killing thousands of people, among them her mum. With Vitex more or less running itself at that point, Rose's dad devoted all his efforts to taking down John Lumic and his cybermen with the aid of Torchwood. Six years and a few changes of hands later, Pete Tyler was now running Torchwood, with Rose the head of a relatively new task force devoted to England's most recent uprising: werewolves. 

 

Or at least they'd thought it was recent. After scouring the world through the net and obtaining rare volumes on the topic, Rose's team learned that werewolves were older than England itself, with records dating as far back as ancient Egypt. But recently attacks had been reported on a nearly nightly basis. Rose, Mickey, Jake, and the rest of her team could barely keep up with them and the media's growing hunger to expose the truth. They weren't simply sated with explanations of wild animal attacks any longer. As much as the media was a constant thorn in her side, Rose couldn't blame them. She wouldn't have believed it either. Sure, foxes roamed the city's streets at night, but everyone believed they were docile for the most part. Most people couldn't believe bears, wild dogs, wolves, or big cats - as one reported - were seeking people out in the open. The mere notion was ludacris, increasingly so with the addition of each attack. 

 

So after eight weeks of attempting to narrow down the source to one person, the task force had switched gears to actively hunting down werewolves to preventing any more deaths. The faces of three children's extinguished lives had been plastered all over the news, and with that all of Torchwood was over the task force's shoulders seeking blood. 

 

Until that night three weeks later, Rose hadn't given thought to guilt or regret for her actions. Everything changed when she caught a brief glimpse of a human in the forest they'd been hunting a werewolf in. Those woods should have been deserted so it couldn't have been a normal citizen merely having a nightly stroll - which outside London's limits well off the beaten path would have been quite odd. Moreover, anyone having a nightly stroll shouldn't have been venturing that deep into the woods completely starkers. Before she could tear after this person they disappeared into the fog lost to her for good. But the idea that werewolves were real people finally had been planted in her mind. Vicious murderers or not, despite direct orders from Torchwood, a niggling bit of doubt had sprouted. Rose had put it out of her mind when the story of the three slain children popped up on the radio on her way home that night. But it wasn't lost to her dreams, apparently. 

 

The higher ups at Torchwood, Rose's dad included, had agreed that putting a werewolf on trial was a laughable idea. How could they be fair to someone who was outside the law both metaphorically and in practice? There was no way to keep the animalistic nature of their crimes hidden in a court of law while simultaneously relying on it as evidence. Without a known way to cure these werewolves of their affliction, it had been agreed upon without Rose even being present that all werewolves must be terminated on sight. While they could narrow down the attacks to them specifically, singling out the individual perpetrators was too tricky, so the entire race had been deemed responsible - if they could be called such. Their lives were shrouded in mystery, and the books on the subject varied greatly from author to author. A few researchers naturally suggested capturing them and studying them, but with politicians breathing down their necks to put an end to the attacks, the higher ups at Torchwood felt they were without many options. So Rose and the rest of the anti-werewolf task force had been given the impossible task of hunting down each and every werewolf, end of discussion. 

 

In the past couple weeks their job had been made that much more difficult by other parts of parliament that were hellbent on shutting them down, entirely convinced they were a money pit. Torchwood was supposed to largely be a secret to the public, but their involvement with shutting down Lumic's factories opened their shutters wide. While most people that were aware of them felt they were national heroes, others were more skeptical and not at all appreciative of their costly efforts that existed outside England's laws. 

 

Just as an anti-werewolf task force had been born in Torchwood, an anti-Torchwood movement was growing in parliament, spearheaded by the overzealous, arrogant, vindictive, persistent Aiden Hoynes. While some members of this 'angry mob,' as Mickey and Jake coined it, believed they had the right to know precisely what went on behind Torchwood's closed doors, Aiden Hoynes had the singular goal of shutting them down altogether. Aiden was a hornet continuously buzzing around their heads threatening to strike at any moment. Rose's dad promised the agents that parliament had no authority over them and his efforts would get him nowhere. But going on how Aiden had been stirring up the media, it had been looking very much the opposite. 

 

Rose's life had already a big busy mess prior to all this simply by being the Vitex heiress, a job she was required to serve in at all hours without truly getting paid for it. That is unless she considered having her face in magazines, tabloids, and celebrity websites. It had been a novelty before Rose's teenage years. Twenty-one years into the life of Vitex, it was just one more pain in the arse that Rose didn't need. Her friends insisted the galas, balls, charity functions, private zeppelins, special treatment, and overall lavish life were more than worth it. But they weren't in her shoes. They'd never understand. It was a double-edged sword. 

 

Between Vitex and Torchwood, Rose was long overdue for a holiday she'd likely not see any time soon. 

 

Mickey drove that point home quite thoroughly when she shuffled into work the morning following her nightmare. "Wow, babe, you look like a wreck."

 

"Thanks Micks," she groaned a half smile. The rest of the task force was all suited up and ready to go, as if they'd already briefed without her. "I just wanna crawl back into bed. Dunno why I'm even here at this ungodly hour." 

 

"Had your cup of coffee?" She grimaced and shook her head. Coffee would do nothing for a stomach that was empty aside from a few bites of toast. "Well there's your problem. Come on then. We can get some on the way." 

 

"On the way where?" Rose folded her arms. She trusted Mickey to run things in her absence as she always had. But she hated being out of the loop when she was already fatigued and in a sour mood. 

 

"We got word parliament's coming round for a little 'visit,'" Jake promptly replied with finger quotes. 

 

A prideful grin bloomed on Mickey's face. "So we was thinking we could head 'em off by slipping away, let the suits deal with 'em. Head back to Richmond Park and investigate. Think we were really onto something yesterday." 

 

Rose tucked her mouth into her cheek and hummed in contemplation. "Yeah but that was after searching all day. They only came out after nightfall, remember? We're better off waiting until then. Wanting to get away from 'the suits' is no excuse. We're in enough hot water as it is for using so much resources, as they're putting it." 

 

"And give up a night of sleep? No way!" one of the newer Torchwood agents groused. 

 

"You volunteered for this assignment, Lake. You're welcome to leave. I can find you a nice desk with some clerical work that needs doing." Lake buttoned his lips and shook his head in a hurried wiggle. "It's settled then. I'm going home to get some sleep to rest up and I suggest you lot do the same."  

 

As the team of ten slowly began shuffling out, Mickey sidled up to Rose and grinned. "Come over to mine for a kip and some lunch later?" 

 

Rose snorted and tugged at the corners of her weary eyes. She let him off quickly and gently with the hopes of avoiding the larger conversation she knew they still needed to have when she wasn't so knackered. "We both know me coming over there's got nothing to do with sleep. Micks, I love you. But you and me right now isn't good for either of us, yeah? Maybe when things settle a bit." 

 

The cold white and metal room was now empty, but Mickey's heart was full. "Things’ll never settle, Rose. Be real. Haven’t since we was kids. You don't let nobody get close no more. I miss you. I miss  _ us _ ." 

 

"This isn't what I need right now." She made claws of her fingers and swallowed a growl. "I didn't wanna still be here fighting paranormal stuff, Micks. What's next, vampires? Ghosts? Had my fill of aliens that's for bloody sure. I need a break." Getting this out felt like her first breath of crisp autumn air. So she continued. "I wanna travel. It's what I've always wanted, to just get away. I want to just run, don't care where. Just away. Someplace new where I can let my hair down and breathe. Breathe fresh air and let my feet actually touch the earth, you know? That's not here. It's not you. And you know it. You want home, dinner in front of the telly, watching matches at the pub with the boys, and afternoons at the cinema. You deserve that, if it makes you happy. You do. It's just not me."

 

He nodded and croaked, clearing his throat before speaking. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." He quickly slinked out of the room, shoulders drooping like a kicked puppy’s.

 

"Mickey don't..." she sighed. 

He was clearly hurt. Rose couldn't be too sorry about what she'd said because they'd been beating around that bush for weeks. Mickey was her best friend and she should've let him go months ago. Them dating was a horrible idea in the first place, but he was familiar and comfortable and safe. For a time that was nice. That's just not what Rose had wanted in the end. Mickey wasn't meant to fill the hole that her mum had left, even if he was willing. He knew all of this, but he was so hopeful, bless.  

Even though trekking into work proved entirely wasteful of her time, Rose was grateful to crawl back into bed. Her sleep was still fitful, but at least she had the day to herself for once. And more importantly for once Aiden Hoynes' arrogance wouldn't be breathing down her neck. She was content for the day to make him be her dad's problem. He excelled in that anyway. Most of London might have been charmed by the haughty blonde statesman, but Rose was not. The last time he'd barged into Torchwood's offices his fierce gaze seared goosebumps onto Rose's skin. He’d sized her up like a predator would its dinner, as if he could rip her apart by sheer force of will. Then again weren't they all like that? No matter, she was having nothing to do with him and wasn't about to let him or his cronies in parliament see them getting underneath her skin. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

After nightfall the anti-werewolf task force slipped quietly into Richmond Park to retrace their steps from the night before with the hopes of tracking down the werewolves they'd lost. They spent the better part of six hours combing through the woods and meadows to no avail. Aside from the movement of deer, frogs croaking, and owls hooting, all was quiet. Save for a couple of foxes the forest was entirely clear of canines that night, not to mention werewolves. The chances of them running into the same cluster of werewolves two nights in a row were slim. So the following day, running on barely any sleep, they set up nightvision motion-triggered cameras throughout the park to start running at nightfall when the werewolves were more likely to appear. That way they wouldn't have to venture into the park every night with the hopes of spotting them and could focus their efforts elsewhere. 

 

The next couple of weeks were quiet all around England, with no reports of attacks that could be attributed to wolves. Clearly they'd wisened up, Rose figured. If the slew of paranormal and cryptozoology books in Torchwood's libraries held any truth the werewolves would need to change eventually. What they hadn't worked out was after so many years of a supposedly marginally quiet existence all of a sudden why they'd chosen to start going after people. But paramount was keeping the populace safe. Most of the task force didn't seem to care why they were hunting humans, just that they were stopped. 

 

Three weeks later the task force spotted a single werewolf on one Richmond Park's cameras. Minutes later they caught a separate trio hunting deer. It was still dusk so they rushed to get their gear and drove well over the speed limit to reach the park in time to catch them before they slipped away once again. They split into four groups spread out through the vast park. Mickey had wanted to keep the walkie talkie channels open but Jake and Rose reminded everyone that radio chatter would give away their positions. Even normal animals had exceptional hearing. Who was to say werewolves didn't have some sort of superhuman hearing? Rose wasn't risking it. It was bad enough that their black outfits and tactical gear had them sticking out like polar bears in the desert. 

 

Eager to make a catch, Rose's group of three split off, going solo and barely remaining within eyesight of one another. As night fell properly this proved to be a fatally bad idea. Jake had warned them to stick together but Rose was all too ready to prove she was just as capable of doing her job as any of the boys. Without anyone watching their backs they were easy pickings for the werewolves. Nobody learned this lesson more than Rose. 

 

She caught the rustling of leaves first and froze, raising her rifle. For the record she loathed guns of any sort. But with everyone breathing down their necks to get the situation under control, she was left with few options. If werewolves were to be reasoned with diplomatically they weren't making it easy. Rose's head darted towards the noise but a few seconds later a branch snapped on the opposite side. She was in a small clearing and knee deep in fog. With a new moon in the sky, she was in perfect darkness. Unlike the other operatives, Rose preferred to rely on her own human nightvision but it wasn't on her side this time. Her only friend at the moment was a fresh blanket of autumn leaves beneath her feet. With each additional rustling it became clear that Rose's stalker was too confident to care. 

 

Did she risk bolting for it, alerting her hunter in the process? Did she dare fire with the potential of accidentally hitting one of her comrades nearby? Did she stay planted to the ground where she was a sitting duck? None were good options. Her hunter was playing with her, circling her and misdirecting her attention. The low, rumbling growl clinched it. It was the reverse of her dream but the result was the same, she'd been caught, this time by a wolf. Rose would've thought they would want to remain silent to avoid alerting their prey, but clearly this one was confident enough to believe he had her right where he wanted her. She brought up her rifle and made it look like she was ready to fire, which fooled nobody, least of all the creature. 

 

Rose hit the ground when she heard a series of quick paced crunches of leaves. With a snarl and a thud the wolf's paws landed on her back, wringing her lungs empty like a popped balloon. The beast’s heft threatened to crush her. No matter that she dodged his lunging jump, he still had her right where he wanted her. At least for a moment. As Rose struggled to breathe she gathered up strength to roll and leaped up. She shot at him but his reflexes were quicker than hers. She only had a split second to start a run. But she only got a few steps before he caught up in the worst way. He dove right for her leg, sinking his teeth into her thigh just above her knee and sent her crashing back to the ground. A white hot searing pain shot through her entire body before her head felt drained and her eyes fell shut. She didn't even cry out, didn't have more strength than to open her mouth and gurgle at her radio after barely fishing it out of her pocket. It fell to the ground before she lost consciousness, and who knew what else with it. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

He didn't stick around to find out what would become of Rose Tyler. He'd felt his teeth shredding her femoral artery when he lunged for her leg as she ran. He couldn't have picked a better target. Her death would send a message home, he hoped. His work was far from done but it would buy him some valuable time to continue attacking Torchwood from the other side. He was in a dead run when his werewolf ears picked up her heart racing at lightning speed. Naturally she was losing blood fast and her human heart was desperate to keep up with it, pumping fast. Bile rose in his throat when he heard blood escaping her leg alarmingly fast, as it was supposed to according to his plan. 

 

Though mutts made a sport of it, Aiden Hoynes had never taken a human's life. His reasons were noble enough, but that previously strong heartbeat fading threatened to haunt him. He loathed Rose Tyler and everything her organization stood for. He took no pleasure in her salty sweetness coating his tongue and the back of his throat, not like he had with her tantalizing scent teasing his nose the past half hour he'd spent hunting her. She'd had a fire, and extinguishing it was on his bloody paws. No matter what her people had done, the wrongness flooded his mind in the same manner her life did the forest floor. 

 

There was only one thing to be done, and it was the stupidest idea he'd had yet. But if he was quick enough it'd save Rose's life. He would've loved to hold onto the idea that she didn't deserve it. But beneath the fire in her eyes there'd been a warmth. She didn't lust for blood as the others had. Aiden shook these thoughts from his mind as he dashed back to her. 

 

He crouched to the ground on his haunches and pressed his cool nose to her neck. He couldn't bear to look at his handiwork after seeing how pale she'd gotten so quickly. Unlike the first bite (if he could call it that, he thought in disgust), his second would be far gentler. He prayed to whichever deities who might be listening that the tales his great grandfather told him as a wee lad of this sort of bite were true. Nobody had tried it in his pack - or any others that he was aware of - in at least a century, if not more. It was largely considered barbaric, even for people that spent a quarter of their lives (some even close to half) as animals. And Rose may hate him for it for the rest of her life, much more so than she already had. But at least she would be alive. Any life was better than death, particularly when the scent of her blood filled his nose with regret. 

 

His teeth barely grazed the join of her shoulder and neck, only just enough, nothing more than a testing bite. Not knowing what manner of mysticism might allow this to work was unnerving. It should never work, much in the same manner a man should never be able to become a wolf. Aiden shut his eyes, unable to watch. It turned out he hadn't needed to. What little warmth still coursed through Rose Tyler's veins seeped into his. It became clear quite quickly that what he'd just done was irreversible. He'd bound himself to her. He gathered this real quick since he passed out. Rose wouldn't be the only one to miss her first change. Aiden would miss it too. 

 

He awoke alone in the early hours of the morning. Though her blood stained the leaves next to him, Rose Tyler had run away a wolf. She'd left tracks, smaller paw prints sunk into the mud next to his own. She'd made it unbearably easy to track her but Aiden fought the urge, knowing the park could still be crawling with Torchwood agents out for his blood. Once he dragged himself up onto his feet and he wobbled he knew he was too weak anyway. At the end of the day it wouldn't matter anyway. Sooner or later Rose would learn why. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

In all the films after a lady was bitten by a vampire, abducted by aliens, or attacked by a werewolf, the characters didn't remember what had happened afterward. The next morning Rose learned how bloody untrue that was. She'd lost how she got back to her flat and into her bed, but the rest of it was quite vivid in her memory; so much so that she dashed to the loo and emptied her stomach of it there. After collapsing to the floor a searing headache threatened to split her skull in two and every bone in her body felt broken. 

 

She'd woken up in the woods with four legs and honey-colored fur flecked with bits of chocolate down her back. Her well manicured hands were replaced with paws. Rose's nightmare had come true, minus the horrific death, though she came terrifyingly close. Even after battling cybermen and fending off alien invasions Rose had never knocked on death's door before. Not until that night. A freight train may as well have just run her over but she still ran for her life as far as she could until she was safely out of Richmond Park. She remembered her wolf leg and hip feeling damp and sticky with blood, but she hadn't been bleeding. Something about her transformation healed her. She didn't want to find out. Slinking low and moving just above a crawl, she traversed street after street ducking behind bins and sticking to unlit portions of walkways. The rest had faded, but at least she'd safely made it home. 

 

Rose was a wolf. A werewolf. She hadn't had to come to terms with it yet, if she'd ever need to. Wrapping her mind around the idea that she'd survived the attack was a task in itself. A prickling hot shower shed her of the mud, grass, blood and grime. But all the water on Earth couldn't wash away teeth tearing through her flesh, paws crushing her back, or the pure terror crumbling her wall of bravery. Upon further examination, no wounds remained on her leg where she'd been attacked. The only evidence she had for all the terror was a bite on her neck and shoulder. Despite how it looked, it was sensitive to touch like a burn. The best she could do was cover it with gauze before her mobile started angrily buzzing for the sixth time since she woke up. 

 

Rose had over a dozen voicemails from six different people, all wondering if she was okay. Until she picked up her mobile the rest of her team hadn't crossed her mind and guilt rushed in like an afternoon storm. For all she knew half of them could have died as she nearly had. Questions began to pop up like daisies. Did the werewolves have some agenda? Was Rose simply "lucky?" What was their intent, attacking her like that? How many wolves were really there in Richmond Park? Did they have an ambush plotted out? Had any of the other agents become... she sucked in a deep breath... werewolves? Did anyone, heaven forbid, die? Mickey and her dad were probably worried sick. She rang her dad first. 

 

Pete's concern rushed out of his mouth so quickly it was nearly indecipherable. "Rose, you're alive. Thank god. Mickey reported you'd vanished after searching for you in the park all night. We feared the worst. You all right? What happened? Do you need medical? Where are you?"

 

"I'm fine, dad. Fine. I'm in my flat. I was -" 

Shit, how would Rose explain this? She couldn't tell him she was now a werewolf, not when she could scarcely wrap her own head around it. He wouldn't understand and she couldn't put him in the impossible situation of dealing with his daughter the head of the anti-werewolf task force being a werewolf. She flopped onto her bed and swept her hands over her face, wringing hot tears from her sore eyes. They came through on the mobile. 

 

Panic struck her dad's voice. "Rose darling what's wrong? What happened? Tell me." 

 

"Is everyone else all right?" 

 

"Lake was attacked and killed. Mickey said he was across the park from you in another group. The wolves nearly got Mickey and Jackson too. They were surrounded. They pulled out after that but said you never showed so they went back to look for you. We were thinking the worst. Rose what happened?" An uncomfortably long silence took hold. "Rose?" 

 

"I..." Quick thinking. Quick thinking. "I was... a group of fallow deer charged me from behind and I fell. Knocked out. I dunno what happened after that dad, I guess I forgot or -"

 

"I think you need to have medical look you over. Other than that Rose Marion Tyler you were trained better than that. You always report in, and you don't desert your group! I'm disappointed."

 

Rose rolled over and hugged her pillow to her face, grumbling in it. Wouldn't it be great if she could simply disappear beneath her covers and will all of this away? Her dad had never been so cruel. He had no clue how close her job had brought his daughter to death. Sod the training. Sod the mission. Sod the werewolves. She could've used some words of relief from her dad rather than a good scolding from her boss. Her mum would've insisted on a cup of tea, a giant blanket, awful telly, and cuddles on the couch. The flood gates relented to this thought and a cascade of tears fell onto her pillow. 

 

"I'm not coming in dad. I'm fine. Just tired." 

 

Rose pressed the 'end' button before he could argue with her and convince her to see medical like she really ought to. Maybe they could cure her of her lupine ailment. Maybe they could fix the wound on her shoulder. Maybe they could discern whether she caught any infections from the wolf. Maybe they could treat any internal injuries. She couldn't be certain she didn't have any when she ached so thoroughly. But they might also lock her up in a cage and make a human pincushion of her if they discovered a living werewolf specimen waltzed through their front doors. An ordinary doctor wouldn't know any different but Torchwood's doctors were specially trained to handle the secrets of the universe just as she was. Even an ordinary doctor would raise an alarm at seeing the bite mark she'd been left with. Its shape was entirely too reminiscent of an animal's. She'd be reporting to the cops in no time, and then right back to Torchwood knowing her luck. She couldn't tell anyone. Rose hadn't been so alone since she'd lost her mum. 

 

Wallowing in self pity wouldn't be permitted either. Rose had been through too much to let this development get to the better of her. At least not for more than a few days. She was a Tyler and the Tyler women rose above it all. Like phoenixes they could never be brought down for long. Upon returning to work the following week her dad benched her from field missions citing her inability to follow directives. It didn't matter that Rose knew this was a manifestation of his concern for her, once her body's strength welled back up she had an insatiable urge to get out and run. It wouldn't be sated from behind a desk. She wouldn’t be brought down by her father turned pencilneck. 

 

What could potentially be sated from behind her desk was Rose's newly replenished curiosity about werewolves. She now had a reason to peruse the books again, which she did with gusto, taking notes. The only issue was the lot of them had already proved inaccurate in places. It was impossible to sever fact from fiction. For one thing the moon appeared to have very little to do with their change. As far as Rose was concerned this was a good thing. It meant she wouldn't have to change, she thought. She figured then that she could control it. The dormant part of her existence would stay that way, because she never wanted it to surface again. 

 

Over the next two weeks Rose learned the creature slumbering underneath her skin was more active than she thought. At least she attributed the changes to it. She stocked up on scarves and concealer for the next month until her scar healed. She was constantly hungry. Finding ways around this at a charity gala had been a triumph. Mickey looked on in horror when they stopped for fish and chips for lunch one day. The constant hunger seemed to go hand in hand with her bursts of restless energy. Rose had taken to running not a mile in the morning as she had been as part of her Torchwood upkeep, but three. And then another three at night. After this she still felt restless. Sleep was more evasive than ever. The further they delved into October the worse all of this got. Rose thought that if she buried herself in her work and hunting that eventually things would return to normal and she'd crash. She only wound up pushing everyone further away in a temper that seemed to crop up out of nowhere. 

 

To make matters worse, Aiden Hoynes and his cronies had made a habit of sauntering into Torchwood on a weekly basis, demanding budget cuts left and right with the threat of losing their jobs if they didn't. Everyone was already strained and Aiden was fanning the flames. Rose imagined ripping his head off. And that was before he dared to barge into her office one morning. It had been close to three weeks since Rose had become a werewolf and though she was still disgusted with it she considered blowing her cover at the sight of the blonde pompous arse leaning over her desk.  

 

"The fuck do you want?" Rose spat. 

 

Aiden was not remotely phased. In fact a wicked smile bloomed on his freckly face. "Not very polite of Britain's sweetheart, now is it?" 

 

"You've been threatening to have us all sacked, I've got nothing for you Mr. Hoynes. I'll say it again. What the fuck do you want? Why are you in my office?"  

 

He leaned in closer, still sporting that wicked grin. He was crisp and so was his cologne. All around Aiden was well groomed and though in all appearances and demeanor he appeared calm his chocolate eyes were wild. If Rose's own heart hadn't - for some reason - started a gallop she could have sworn she faintly heard his serenely tapping away. It was infuriating. He was intoxicating. A cocktail of shame and lust ripened Rose's cheeks while she clawed her desk. Literally. Before Aiden could answer she looked down in horror to find her fingertips transforming into furry digits with actual claws. Rose's hand acted on instinct and flew up to her face. In that breath's span of time it had become a full fledged paw. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Panic froze her in place instead of letting her run as she ought to have. 

 

"May I make a suggestion, Rose? It is okay if I call you Rose, right?" What the hell was happening? Was he blind? "Run." 

 

She wasn't about to stick around after hearing this. She didn't want to find out what might happen if she did. But before she reached the door he was on her, snatching her hand (well, paw). Aiden came up close and whispered in her ear. 

 

"No. Not like that. Go get in your car, calm down, then drive off and find a secluded spot first." She tugged at his hand to let her go but he held on tight. "And next time know that you can't simply ignore it.  _ It _ won't go away. You need to run." 

 

The moment he let go Rose tore out of the building, shouting at Mickey about lady troubles when he asked her what was the matter. Nothing got her out of Torchwood business quicker than that excuse, wrong as it was. They never questioned her, even if she used it two weeks in a row. She chose not to process that Aiden clearly knew she was a werewolf and instead focused on his keen advice. Before she drove anywhere she sat in her car with her - paws stuffed in her pockets doing deep breathing exercises. She told herself that she was in control of this creature and not the other way around. It seemed to work long enough for Rose to drive to Richmond park, which was an incredibly foolish idea. But Rose had no time to drive out of the city to a less busy area that wasn't monitored by Torchwood. She needed open space and the protection of trees. And though she had no clue how many werewolves were friendly with one another, she at least had already learned they frequented the park for their changes. 

 

Remembering that Rose's clothes had gone missing from the night of her attack, she decided to hide what she was wearing in the hole of a tree close enough to a clearing but far away enough from the gardens and any potential foot traffic. Surrounded by bushes, it was just secluded enough for her to change. 

 

But she hadn't accounted for noise. Once she'd successfully stripped, never feeling more exposed in her life, the wolf took over. A searing pain ripped through her body and dragged her to the ground on all fours. A groan grew into a shriek. Rose then arched her back and held her breath. The change was pushing forward but she was holding it back as sharply cracking joints had bile rising in her throat. She staked her hands and feet into the ground, determined to not let it take over. Maybe she could reverse it if she fought it hard enough, holding her breath and tensing her quaking muscles. The wolf had other ideas. Terribly painful ideas. Even childbirth couldn't hold a candle to this, she was convinced. At least this was quicker. Within minutes of surrendering to the wolf her body went on autopilot, resetting her spine, relocating limbs, elongating her face. She grew ears, a long fluffy tail, and she'd never have a proper word for rapidly growing fur from simply skin. Nothing would compare. 

 

If Rose had been bursting at the seams with energy lately, it was all sapped for her change. She collapsed onto her belly on the cold earth and whimpered in pain. She felt sick. The two baskets of chips from lunch were threatening to work their way back up. All the while Rose had completely forgotten it was still broad daylight. Anyone could have heard her, and newfound panic began shooting through her veins. She'd changed so she could run but now she was considering crawling into that hole in the tree to hide. 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

There was no feasible way for him to keep a safe distance from Rose in the little clearing she'd chosen for her change. She had good instincts in staying well hidden. He'd given her the space to accomplish the task, maintaining her dignity and privacy. Even for the closest of family it was incredibly taboo to watch someone change, since it was a deeply personal and private event, no matter how often it occurred. Once the wolf had fully taken hold there would be no turning back, she would be incredibly vulnerable. He couldn't on good conscience let her be truly alone where someone might happen upon her. He'd learned that Torchwood assumed werewolves wouldn't venture out in broad daylight. The bloody idiots didn't even have the cameras on during the day. The park was littered with humans in the day, but none of them would be looking for wolves, so as long as they stuck to the shadows they should be okay, he reasoned. 

 

Rose Tyler was his responsibility now. She was no pup, but it'd been drilled into his head since he was small that no wolf should be alone for their first run. He'd had his father. But who did Rose have? This was why the nobler packs had chosen to not attack humans for the risk of turning them. If they were to avoid being targeted by humans the ancient laws had to be respected. Mutts - groups of werewolves without a proper pack - and solo wolves didn't bloody care for them, or they turned humans for the sole purpose of surviving. But he never needed to. And in times of old little guidance about living among humans was needed. They could simply live away from them on their own. 

 

His eventual goal was to move his children back onto Hoynes estate in the countryside. But with England's growing outrage against wolves it was his duty to protect their future, so he'd had to manage in the city for the past few years. Though snaking his way through the government was almost as exhilarating as the hunt, it came at the cost of the wide open territory he and his pack had kept for generations. 

 

When she found out he was the man she loathed she would be furious. But in a city suffering from a small mutt infestation (hence Torchwood's hunts), a new werewolf wasn't safe, particularly a female. Female werewolves were extraordinarily rare. Even centuries ago it was an unspoken rule to never harm a human female unless they attacked first. Most of them didn't survive the change. It was difficult to say why exactly. Clearly Rose had been determined to live, whether she was conscious of it or not. 

 

The wolf blood (well now they called it a gene) was carried by both males and females in bloodlines, but females rarely turned. Odds were only one in five hundred werewolves was female. And the odds that the one wasn't from a bloodline would be slim to none. Given the dwindling werewolf population, there were probably no more than a hundred werewolves in all of the UK. Rose Tyler was more than likely the only female werewolf that side of the English channel. Mutts wouldn't care that she was protected, their instincts would take over, and Rose would end up being hurt. He'd brought her into an entirely new culture that was difficult for an outsider to grasp. But it was now his responsibility to teach her. 

 

Rose was part of his life now, regardless of whether either of them liked it. Though he respected Torchwood's aims to rid England of mutts - a nigh impossible yet noble feat for humans - they were going to kill indiscriminately and innocent pack wolves would come under fire. Aiden knew full well the pretty photoshopped face plastered all over the media wasn't the real Rose, but neither did he truly know her. She was a Torchwood agent heading what he'd learned was the anti-werewolf task force. Beyond that she was a mystery to him. But he would unravel her bit by bit. Looking past her desire to kill his kind, he'd be damned before giving up on finding her good qualities. She had to have some if the country was so bloody obsessed with her. He had to try, he was utterly hers and without a choice. It was the price he paid for choosing to save her life. 

 

He'd tried in the past few weeks to not become obsessed with the woman who now carried his mark, but instinct and urges were threatening to take over in the same way that her inner wolf had finally taken root. Many have fought it, determined to keep the beast within them at bay. To this day, after thousands of years of trying, nobody has succeeded. Aiden Hoynes never had this problem. He sought out the change from a young age after witnessing his relatives strutting about their estate with their tails and heads held high. He was proud of his heritage. The humans of the world simply were simply short-sighted. He didn't even see himself as a human but rather a step just above them. He wagered Rose would view her new physical state as an affliction but he saw it as a gift. Through teaching her he hoped to convince her of the same. 

 

But as to the other part of his gift? The mark he left on her shoulder? Doubtful. A werewolf bite will turn a human if they don't outright perish from the attack. That would have been Rose if he hadn't intervened with his second bite. Before they had determined the best way to keep their species alive was through bloodlines, werewolves engaged in what were now called pacts. The 17th century was known not only for witch hunts but werewolf hunts as well. Humans were ruthless and relentless. The werewolf population had dwindled to scarily low numbers, so the pacts were born of the desire to preserve the species. A werewolf's bite contained their very essence. Of course via modern technology they learned it was from the transfer of DNA through saliva. But for reasons that still escaped modern science, if a werewolf bit a human twice and they survived, the werewolf's life would be bound to them. At that time it was called a mate's bite, because usually the newly turned female would be expected to return the bite. Again, barbaric. But when the times changed, so did the nature of a mate's bite, and it became a pact. A pact to protect one another from the ferocity of humans. 

 

Aiden required nothing from Rose. But all the same, his life would be tied to hers. He couldn't even say this for his own children. Should anything happen to her, he would take half the burden of it from her. He'd have no control over this. He'd made some costly mistakes in his life, offering up his life to another was a small price to pay for them. But Rose was alive, and in becoming a werewolf could no longer be his hunter. He still achieved his goal in the end, just not in the way he'd planned. She was about to discover a whole new side to herself, and despite his trepidation, he was a bit eager to properly greet his pact mate. 

 

The thicket Rose changed in fell silent after it was through. For wolves that were born humans, becoming aware of their new forms and becoming accustomed to them were incomparable to any other experiences. Puberty was a walk in the park compared to finding their footing after gaining two more, plus a tail. Aiden measured every step entering the tiny clearing, careful to not stir a branch or make noise. He didn't want to creep up on Rose, but nor did he wish to stir her. She wouldn't know what to do in her new skin, so the wolf would take over and pounce. He had no idea what her strength might be. Everyone was different. To his surprise she didn't yelp when he startled her by brushing the bush next to him. She jumped, turned about and snarled. Instinct took over. 

 

She was, of course, fucking beautiful. Damn her. Her human form's curves translated to a wolf form shorter and stockier than his own. But her coat was sleek where his was fluffy. She was the color of honey with flecks of toffee down her back, and her belly softened to a dark cream. This pair of warm eyes were even fiercer than the ones he'd met back in her office. She wouldn't be caught unawares like last time, her growl and rigid stance told him. He was certain she had no clue who he was. All the same, he needed to earn her trust. In making an appeal for it he also attempted to alleviate his guilt for nearly killing her at the same time. 

 

Aiden immediately hit the ground. This was by far the most humiliating thing he'd ever done,, but he sucked down his pride in a gulp and released a low whimper. He brought his paws to his chest and peeled back his ears, tail between his legs. Her newly advanced sense of smell would aid her instincts in telling her he was familiar and safe. But she'd need to get close enough, and know to use those senses. Rose evened out her stance and stopped growling, but she remained frozen in front of the hole in the tree hiding her human clothes.  This standoff lasted uncomfortably long before Aiden relinquished one last thread of his pride by wagging his tail and playfully batting in the air towards her face. Finally the human gave in a little to her new instincts and inched a bit closer, sniffing the air around him. Her ears perked up and folded in confusion. The animal part of her mind did as he predicted. But her eyes grew wide and he faintly heard a heart flapping anxiously in its cage. 

 

Simple nerves. He stood up slowly and sidled up to her shoulder to shoulder. If he let her think about this too much they'd get nowhere. He just needed her to follow him. No thinking, just running together with her at his side. It would hopefully help clear her human mind and give the wolf a chance to take over for a while. Of course to Aiden they were one and the same. But the separation would help Rose adapt until she could embrace what she was, not merely accept it. 

 

He took a few tentative steps away from her, urging her to follow him by looking back and wagging his tail. She didn't move at first, but chuffed and nipped at his heels when he darted out of the thicket. She didn't trust him, but she didn't want to be alone either, apparently. Good, it was a start. He took off further into the middle of the park away from the trails and open meadows. Weaving between the trees, after a few minutes of a gentle canter he took off at a slow run. Her lungs filled quickly with exhilaration, puffing warm air onto his flank as she got her bearings. But the further they went, the more she wanted to stop and look around, sniffing the air. Her human side was wanting to memorize where she was going so she wouldn't lose her way. 

Aiden growled at her and held back, pushing at her rump to urge her to take the lead. If she was choosing where they were going she wouldn't worry as much about finding her way back. She surely would be clever enough to work out how to stay hidden and where to go. Trust was not a matter of liking someone, he reminded himself. Sure enough, she stuck well within the tree line, and after a few minutes of hesitation and nudging from him she took off full speed. She was bloody fast, faster than a wolf her build ought to be. But he wasn't complaining. He'd sorely needed a running partner since he lost his father. Mere seconds after he caught up to her she darted around a tree, nearly causing him to run into it as he watched her pick up speed. He couldn't be certain which part of her was challenging him but he didn't care. He had his honor to defend. It took him a few minutes but he managed to catch up to her. Warmth flooded his very core when she let him run parallel with her, occasionally bumping shoulders and lapping up the crisp, cool air. To her it would mean nothing, at least at that moment. 

 

Aiden estimated they were about an hour into their run when Rose came to a sudden halt at the edge of a treeline. A herd of fallow deer were grazing a hundred or so feet ahead of them in a meadow. Rose's blonde ears perked up and curled forward. He hadn't been certain before but he was right then that the wolf was thinking for her. And she was hungry. As much as he admired how brazen she was, hunting in broad daylight was too foolhardy for his tastes. There was a reason pack wolves had a much higher survival rate than mutts. This was how the mutts made it on the news, by not thinking carefully or planning ahead. 

 

He body blocked her, obscuring her view of her intended lunch. For another thing, there was no way in hell she was taking down a healthy deer on her own during her first proper run. He wasn't risking his lifeblood on that foolishness, because that would get her killed. She snapped at him, biting at his shoulder. He growled and caught her neck in his mouth before pinning her to the ground. She was none too appreciative of this, writhing beneath his paw and snarling viciously at him. She was just as feisty as he imagined she might be, producing an all new breed of thought he'd return to when not teaching her a lesson. He barked at her and bore down on her ribs with his paw, making quite certain she understood he meant business before casting his gaze skyward. She stopped flailing long enough to look. Peeking through the orange leafy canopy above was the midday sun. Her body relaxed and she chuffed in frustration. Her meal would have to come from elsewhere. 

 

On their way back to her thicket he couldn't help but catch a rabbit for her when an opportunity presented itself. Aiden mentally grimaced at the thought of giving in to Rose, kowtowing to those absurdly entrancing eyes of hers. Even as a wolf the heiress managed to find a way to be charming. Her mouth curled into a mild canine smile with a matching tentative wag of her tail, getting used to using her new forms of communication. It wasn't a proper thank you, but he took it and waited for her before they set off again. 

 

With a fully belly there was a pep in her step as she followed his lead back to her thicket. He made certain she watched him, nose close to the ground to follow their scent back. She turned her nose up at him, but in time he knew she'd realize it'd be necessary to use the skills her wolf form afforded her. When they reached her thicket he paused and panted a sigh. As he followed Rose to the park from Torchwood he'd had it all planned out to reveal himself at the end of the run, after he got dressed of course. But not only had Rose not realized he was the wolf who bit her, they'd had a mostly pleasant first run. That didn't mean he enjoyed her company, but everything had gone well. It took him a moment, but he did manage to devise a way to tell her when to meet him for another run without revealing who he was. 

 

He stood back and started digging in the cold earth. His blonde wolf canted her head and watched in bewilderment as he carefully dug patterns in dirt. Numbers were shorter and easiest to convey. He provided a date and time, three days from then, five in the morning on Saturday. She wagged her tail in understanding. He considered giving her GPS coordinates to the woods on his family's estate. But it would be a dead giveaway. Too early. They had a lot of progress to make before he would dare to try that. With that, he leaned in and briefly buried his nose in the fur on her back, her intoxicating scent overwhelming his senses. After circling her once, looking her over one last time, he took off for his own spot to change back in and leave her to her devices. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

Rose considered a long, hot shower before returning to work, but running about the park for over an hour with a strange wolf she didn't know had her craving normalcy and human interaction. At the same time, shame swept in at full force once she stepped out of her car headed towards the Torchwood building. She could've easily been naked and covered in fur again, the way everyone's heads were turning as she walked in. Silently coaching herself to relax, she ignored all of them because it had to be all her imagining. And then Mickey came along. She nearly jumped out of her skin. 

 

"Hey babe. Got something in your hair." He plucked a leaf from her wild tresses. 

 

Rose gasped but cleared her throat and mumbled, "Thanks." 

 

Mickey narrowed his eyes at her. "Thought you was heading home." He wrinkled his nose in a grimace and lowered his voice. "Lady things." 

 

"I did. Didn't want to leave you lot hanging so after a quick kip I came back. Problem?" She folded her arms and straightened her posture defensively. 

 

He waggled his head. "Nope. No, not at all. No problem. In fact, we got a tip from Dorset police about wolves running on the beach. We was gonna do some investigating." 

 

"You want to drive all the way out to Dorset today, last minute? That's over two hours away, not to mention rush hour. We staying the night then, if we'll have the time?" she protested. 

 

"Why not?"

 

"I'll tell you why not. It'll cost money, and if it turns out it was just dogs on the loose it'll go to waste, Micks." 

 

They stopped in front of Rose's office and she leaned in front of the door. Mickey narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not acting like yourself these days. Sure you're all better? We got this, Rose. No need for you to work when you're..." his mouth turned in that same grimace as before, "you know." 

 

"I just think with everyone's eyes on us we should be careful is all." 

 

"Starting to sound like your old man." 

 

"Oh that's it, forget it. I'm going home. You want to drive halfway across England chasing werewolves by all means. Not having any part in it. I'll be here doing proper investigating first." 

 

When Mickey stormed off Rose realized she'd been a bit harsh with him. She ought to have been able to tell her best friend what was going on, but she barely knew what being a werewolf meant herself. How could she explain it to someone else? How could she tell him she was suddenly terrified of hunting werewolves now that they were the only ones who could help her? How long would it be before Torchwood cracked down on them completely, making it impossible for her to change and run? It'd been made clear to her by her new mysterious furry companion that she needed the open space to get out and run. The animal residing within wouldn't be sated easily. Living in the city with this new affliction would prove difficult enough before her own job mucked it up. 

 

Rose slammed her office door behind her, slumped on her desk, and hid her face in her arms. The alternative to this new affliction was death, she reminded herself. With the injuries she'd suffered last month if she hadn't turned she would've bled out. She still wanted neither. While cleansing her palette of rabbit with a bit of rum from her locked desk drawer she contemplated - ached for - a third option. Door number three had to be being cured. 'Lady things,' as Mickey called them, were more or less manageable. Hormones were tamed with chips and ice cream. Rose's life was too hectic to fit in sneaking off for hours at a time to dangerously busy parks in the middle of London to run around naked as a wolf. Something living inside her, or some part of her mind, however it worked (she didn't want to know) didn't bloody care. Her body was a cage and that day she'd learned it would fight for release. 

 

She tried to put the thought out of her mind as she looked into the Dorset werewolf sightings on the net. She did dig enough to find footage from a teen's mobile on youtube, but it was too dark to discern the difference between wolves and dogs. While Mickey's investigation into the sighting got him nowhere, that one sighting and video led to a tidal wave of poorly shot "werewolf" sighting videos from all around the UK. There were too many to check out with the resources they would've had without the growing dissent against Torchwood in parliament. Now it seemed like an impossible task without further assistance. And even then Rose couldn't bring herself to go on another raid. Mickey grew increasingly suspicious with each excuse she made, three in the span of two weeks. They had a huge row over Rose slacking in her work. Mickey accused Rose of warping into a whole new person, and she damn near slapped him. When she was through yelling at him about growing tired of hunting down human beings her voice was hoarse. By Halloween they weren't on speaking terms. 

 

In those two weeks she met her new werewolf friend three times. Apparently Rose's restlessness was more manageable when she ran as a wolf more than once a month. Her appetite didn't wane in the slightest. In fact the more runs she went on, the bigger it grew. The only conclusion she came to was a werewolf's metabolism was quicker than a human's. It had to be. It was the least of her concerns. Rose was bound and determined to work out who her werewolf friend was. She never caught sight of anyone who could be him after changing back to a human. Whoever her friend was, he was either quite stealthy or not at all the sort she had in mind. All she knew was he was a werewolf, because he could write, and that he was male. He'd made the latter fact abundantly clear. Even though she'd seen it, he also made a point of marking his territory. Rose guessed it was to keep away malicious werewolves, which he certainly wasn't. 

 

Her friend was a seemingly gentle soul needing a companion to run with. He'd taught her safety and how to hunt. They shared meals. She greeted him with tail wags one time, which seemed to delight him. They'd forgotten about the burdens of their bipedal halves to play, cool autumn winds at their backs and beds of crisp leaves beneath their paws. He could've been a criminal, completely loathsome. But all Rose knew was he felt safe. He was a complete stranger that she could trust. He was quickly becoming the only thing that made sense in her life. Her werewolf side only asked to be set free every now and again, which was much easier to relate to than Mickey's crusade against werewolves. 

 

Or Aiden Hoynes. 

 

He strutted into Rose's office much in the same manner he had the first time, but with a thirsty grin on his face. Rose had been trying to not think about the fact that he'd seen her partly change. But it had been a couple weeks. She'd been fooling herself into thinking that either she was in the clear or he hadn't seen anything. He was an arrogant bastard on any day. But this day, Halloween of all days, he strolled in sporting his pride like an Armani tux. 

 

He picked up a puzzle game from her desk and began playing with it in his palm. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Rose Tyler." 

 

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes, playing it cool. He could very well know nothing. "What."

 

"See, something has been bothering me these two weeks and I just couldn't put my finger on it. At first I thought maybe I was seeing things. Then, perhaps that I've been working too hard."

 

"Yeah, to get us all sacked!" Rose fired at him. 

 

He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Ms. Tyler. It's rude to interrupt." 

 

"So's coming in here touching my things!" She snatched her puzzle game from his hands. 

 

He grinned and whispered, "Now now. We both know what happens when you get fired up."

 

Aiden had seen it after all. He did know. Rose froze in terror. Forget being a werewolf, she was a mouse beneath a cat's paw. Trapped, his prey. Subject to his every whim. No words of anger or fear would come of her open mouth despite firing them off in her head. Anything would've sufficed other than panicked silence. 

 

"Oh yes, I saw. How incredibly ironic it is that a werewolf is heading the anti-werewolf task force in Torchwood. I would hazard a guess your father and colleagues are unaware of those cute little claws of yours. I can only imagine what they might do if they found out. I am told that our hard earned tax dollars go to funding all manner of research that we don't get to know about. They'd chuck you in some tank and leave you to all sorts of mad doctors, wouldn't they?" 

 

When Aiden leaned in Rose smelled the coffee and sandalwood on him. Coffee from the shop closest to her flat, sandalwood from high end cologne, hints of autumn leaves, expensive leather from his car, raspberry jam with toast. Her nerves did little to dampen her developing wolf senses. He patted her cheek and she came within an inch of biting his gangly fingers off. 

 

"What do you want?" Rose finally managed in a snarling hiss. 

 

He cupped her chin. "What I want is irrelevant in this case. It's a matter of how much information you're willing to give me in exchange for my silence about your dirty little secret?" 

 

"Why do you care? You're just going to shut us down as soon as you can." She shook her face from his grasp, hating herself for momentarily getting caught in it and his intoxicating scent. 

 

"In due time. You see I'm a patient man, Rose. And I have good reasons. I'm willing to wait to get what I want. There's no sense in rushing this to let you all recuperate. No, I'm going for total annihilation here. That takes time. I'm merely playing the hand you showed me." 

 

"I could just as easily go public and tell the media you've been threatening me."

 

He snorted. "And when they find out you're a werewolf?" 

 

Rose swallowed the stone in her throat and it sank to the pit in her gut. There was no way of pulling out of this. Aiden had won and the smug bastard knew it. She hung her head and shoulders in defeat and did as he asked, but only relinquished basic information that he could have easily picked up himself. This elicited a laugh, so she continued, relaying all the nitty gritty details of the task force's operations. Aiden Hoynes walked about with knowledge of when and where they went out on raids; where they had cameras and when they were set up; where they'd been seriously looking for werewolves, and so much more. The hairs on the back her Rose's neck stood on end upon wondering what the hell he wanted all this information for. She'd exposed herself, this was all her fault. And she was furious. 

 

If that wasn't bad enough, that same afternoon Rose had the biggest row with Mickey yet, this time with her dad as his cavalry. She'd changed. She'd been disappearing from work at odd hours. She'd sat out from multiple missions. She couldn't possibly be suffering from so many lady troubles, and if she was, why hadn't medical known anything about it? If she was pregnant shouldn't they be informed, particularly Mickey? She had half a mind to change right there and rip Mickey's favorite pair of trainers to shreds. Mickey knew exactly how preposterous the idea was, she thought with flaming cheeks. 

 

Fury wanted to coax the wolf out. But she couldn't go out and change at night so she spent the better part of it pacing about her flat and answering the door to trick-or-treaters. Some of them ran away before she could give them any sweets. She must have been frighteningly angry. Rose counted down the hours until she couldn't wait any longer, rushing out at half past three. 

 

Her fourth full change hadn't gone smoothly, which had become the norm. But Rose was still desperately hoping her limbs would get used to the rearranging, that her skin wouldn't itch after growing fur again for the fourth time. But for the first time she hadn't felt so naked. Once she was through the change she took a few minutes as she had been doing, let the ache subside, and took off for a run. She wore on her regular path, deep in the thickest part of the woods away from any prying eyes. She was safe here, even if her companion wasn't with her. She needed to run off her frustration. For once when she caught the nearby scent of deer she wasn't disgusted with her growling stomach. She was becoming accustomed to having an advanced sense of smell. It also picked up a familiar scent. 

 

Before he could sneak up on her, Rose's four legs leaped up into the air giddily in turn before crouching into a play bow. She barked and yipped excitedly, completely scaring off her potential prey nearby. But she hadn't cared. He was pleased to see her too, waggling his hips and darting around her before pausing to greet her properly. When she licked his muzzle and brushed her face in his neck his ears folded. He growled a low groan before politely nibbling her neck. Rose whimpered and peeled her ears and eyed the now empty meadow hungrily. It wasn't unlike begging Mickey to go down to the chippy for her. 

 

He'd read her mind, gesturing to a pile of three rabbits. He must have happened upon a burrow on his way. What astronomical odds brought them together on a run out of the blue, she wondered? More than that, how had he found her? She wasn't complaining about breakfast. She wasn't just hungry for sympathetic company, she was bloody starving too. Afterward, he ran with her shoulder to shoulder, driven only by a yearning for release.  

 

Rose had conveniently forgotten that she'd gotten little sleep the night before, so she was properly knackered on the way back from the run. Her companion led her back to her changing spot and nudged her into her hole in the tree. Rose eyed her clothes, wary of sharing this now sacred space with the one who was still a stranger. He growled and picked up her clothes in his mouth, tossing them out of the nook in the tree. He'd gone to the trouble of capturing her breakfast, he was going to enjoy her company, he seemed to be saying. It was fine by her. Being honest, she didn't want to be alone. Her new life had alienated her from the ones she cared for most. This familiar stranger was the only one who understood her and wasn't constantly interrogating her. 

 

She didn't much mind him pushing her to the ground. He knew damn well he couldn't make her do anything. She let him because she'd begun to trust him. He could have caught her after she changed three times already but he chose to keep her secret. He had no reason to help her but he did anyway. He was safe. He was hers. The feeling flooded her cold skin with warmth as he took to grooming her. She couldn't explain it. Really it didn't mean much. Bonding with him had become a necessity for survival just as with any other species, she told herself. 

 

They weren't exactly wild so grooming wasn't at all necessary as far as Rose knew. But it helped clear her mind. Razor sharp fangs gently nibbled from her neck to her belly to her legs. She remained still and silent for him until he flopped onto his belly, expecting the same treatment in return. Rose had no earthly idea what she was doing, or if she should even be doing it. Little flaps of his tail were the only encouragement she needed. He always corrected her if she was doing something wrong. This time was no exception. When she was finished he pawed her until she lied down, then rested his head on her neck. The nook in the tree was barely big enough to fit them, so they were snug. Her last thought prior to falling fast asleep was she was cuddling with a man whose identity remained a mystery to her. 

 

This changed when she awoke hours later. Bare skin met bare skin, an arm was coiled tightly around her waist, and a leg was hiked between hers. A semi-hard length had nestled itself in the cleft of her arse and a pair of lips were pressed gently to the mark on her shoulder. They'd both changed in their sleep. It was still her companion. She could smell that on him now. That and something else, something that induced a wave of shock and panic before she looked at him. Both scents melded in that moment to one that was entirely familiar, one she could put a face and a name to. 

 

Rose darted up, or tried to. She hit the roof of the hole in the tree and winced in pain before stumbling out. All the ruckus woke Aiden up. He chased after her before she could run off with her clothes. 

 

"Back off! I don't need claws or sharp teeth to kick you in the balls!" Rose warned after he pinned her to the tree. Cold bark bit her skin, digging in uncomfortably. 

 

"Let me explain."

 

"Explain what? What is this? How long were you gonna keep up this sick charade? Is it all a joke to you, taking advantage of me? You were gonna feed me to the press weren't you? Bet you had it all planned out, didn't you? Well I'm not having any part in it! You're sick! Let me go or I'll scream!" 

 

Aiden released her and Rose darted for her clothes, shoving them on before he got any ideas. 

 

"Rose please I need you to keep this a secret."

She guffawed in ire and shock. "What, like you were planning on keeping me a secret? Fuck you!" 

 

He snatched her hand as she made to storm off. "I'm not kidding, Rose. It's not just me. It's my children too. My pups. You out me or take me down, you're putting them at risk." Rose stopped struggling and stood still. She cursed herself for noticing he was still half hard, and quite, quite fit. "Noah, my son, he's within two years of turning - becoming a werewolf - and I can't let him run around parks like I do forever. This isn't ideal for us. I want my pups safe. Safe from you, safe from Torchwood, safe from the mutts. It's the only reason I've done any of this." 

 

At first, Rose didn't really want to process anything he'd said. She kept her glare on him full force, eyes narrowed, lips twitching, fists clenched. She didn't want to hear the situation part, the help part, the kids part, the outing part, none of it - it made him sound so human, and she was happier thinking of him as some power-mad despot robot who just happened to look fit. It didn't matter, the villain was always attractive. But now he was vulnerable. Finally, the kids part fully processed. She'd never hurt a child, and hurting Aiden hurt two of them, damn him. 

 

Her shoulders went slack, and she looked down, all of the fight going out of her. "I couldn't threaten to ruin what's left of your family and get you killed," she murmured, before looking up at him. "I'm not you." 

 

"Don't you get it? You  _ are  _ my family!" He clenched his fists but released them when she tensed. 

 

Rose chuffed. "Oh what, like werewolves? Fuck that. Don't even talk to me about that. You wanna talk about family? My dad's all I got left. And Mickey to an extent. But really it's just dad. I lost my mum."

 

"I know. It was all over the news."

 

"She was my best friend. And since then I... that wolf... he was the first friend I made in forever that's not Torchwood that doesn't care about me being an heiress or an agent. I trusted him, and you ruined it! What was it a joke to you the whole time?" 

 

His ire softened at this. She'd told the snake much more than she should've, and began to feel shame welling up like the puffy blue clouds above. 

 

"It wasn't. I was trying to help, and protect my family. I promise. That was it. At first."

 

His gentler tone hit her like a freight train. He almost looked remorseful. "Hang on. I met him, the wolf, before you came into my office seeing me change accidentally. You knew! It was you wasn't it? God I'm so stupid, how could I not see it? You nearly fucking killed me! That's what you were planning wasn't it? I just wasn't supposed to live so you had to come up with another plan. You're sick, you know that?"

 

"Rose." 

 

She shrugged away from him and stormed off, her name from his lips shooting cold tremors down her spine. "Stay the fuck away from me!" 

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

It could have gone worse, Aiden reminded himself. The cat was out of the bag now, which was not entirely a bad thing. But being honest, he was still fucking furious with himself. Over the course of a few weeks he'd learned precisely how Rose preferred him to be, confident but gentle. Part of him had earned her trust and in one swift blow he'd let it all crumble to the ground. Maybe it was better that it happened so soon. He had a penchant for wanting to keep charades going for as long as he could. His elaborately-hashed plans never worked on people he wanted to trust him, he remembered bitterly. 

 

Somewhere out there, Aiden didn't know precisely where, Aiden's ex-wife Freya Gardner was living contently, free of responsibility and her family. Free of the burden of caring for what she called beasts, her own two children, that he'd saddled her with. Part of securing his bloodline was meeting a decent woman and starting a family. But he’d loved Freya. He'd stupidly thought he could pick the right time to tell her about being a werewolf. He put it off further and further the closer they got, for fear that she wouldn't love a werewolf. But he held onto the vain hope that if she'd been married to him long enough she would accept him for who he is. 

 

Aiden's youngest child Ruby was barely three months old when it happened. Freya worked late every Wednesday. Changing and going out on runs proved incredibly difficult when living with a human, but Aiden had always planned his schedules meticulously to avoid overlap and give him wiggle room. Going out on runs was even more difficult while raising children. But his already busy work as a politician warranted hiring a nanny. 

Aiden had insisted on being allowed to hire one himself, because Noah desperately needed consistency. He was in it for the long haul, whoever he hired. Though Noah was barely three, if he intended to keep a nanny there was no guarantee when his son would turn. Most didn't turn before age ten, but in rare cases people have been known to turn as early as five or six. Aiden couldn't take any chances. He hired a pack wolf he could trust, a young member of an ancient Scottish bloodline named Craig. 

 

Craig was watching Ruby and Noah on a Wednesday night. It was the one night a week Aiden could go on runs so he always took it. It was the one night a week he could finally stretch his legs and relieve his urges to hunt. Having children dampened other urges, but those two remained constant. There was no risk of being caught while living outside the city on his family's estate. Aiden could slip right inside to the shower from a run. 

 

Only on that night, little three-months-old Ruby was particularly restless and wouldn't sleep. His fatherly instincts didn't change with his form. The cries of his own pup, human though she may be, still tugged at his heartstrings. He didn't wait to change. He didn't think to. He carefully picked up her swaddle from Craig's arms in his mouth as a mother wolf would a pup, gently laid her on a pillow on the floor, and curled around her. Aiden never had a doubt females carried wolf's blood, else bloodlines wouldn't exist. He never felt it more acutely than that day when his human child calmed down at his touch regardless of what form it took. Ruby knew she was nestled safely with her father. 

 

Freya did not feel this way. She screamed. This much Aiden couldn't blame her for. But Aiden didn't help his own case by changing in a panic in front of Freya. They argued all the while Craig made failed attempts at calming their baby down, frightened beyond repair at her mother screaming. Aiden tried to explain the situation to her but he learned right then that it was far too late. Nothing would ever erase the expression of pure disgust that took hold of his wife that night. But what truly broke his heart was she left not because she found out her husband was a werewolf, but that her son and potentially her daughter were werewolves too. 

 

Freya left while Noah slept, and Aiden hadn't heard from her since. Aiden didn't mince words with his son. His mother left because she was disgusted with who he was. He contemplated lying to his little boy and his starry eyes to spare his delicate heart. But he couldn't bring himself to, knowing what he would become some day, and knowing that lying to his only love had cost his children their mother. He'd done what was expected of him and continued his bloodline, but his methods cost him severely. The only good outcome was raising his children freely, with full awareness of their lineage and acceptance of who they were. He raised them to accept and love who they were. 

 

He ought to have known better than to think deceiving Rose would turn out in his favor. But for her to learn to be a wolf and for him to simultaneously protect his pups he could conceive of no other way. Even if he had he known he was going to grow attached to Rose he still couldn't think of another way. There was no changing it now. But he couldn't simply leave her, that wasn't an option. Aiden was drawn to Rose in the worst, irreversible way. He couldn't control it any more than he could gravity. The tales he'd heard about pact mates couldn't hold a candle to the real thing, couldn't possibly compare to another soul having a hold on his lifeblood. 

 

Aiden had no feelings for Rose Tyler whatsoever. They didn't even have a relationship. Not anymore - not at that moment. He'd gotten to a point of ambivalence about her. She'd become more than a means to an end, yes. But his heart had nothing for her, it was the truth. It didn't change that he was drawn to her. He truly was hers in a way that nobody else on Earth could ever be. Could one person be drawn to another only in a physical way? Could a relationship be based on mutual need? Of course they were both true. Rose had taught him that it wasn't enough, though. By deceiving her he'd broken her trust, even if part of why he'd done it was to save her. He'd missed out on chances to develop a human connection with her. 

  
Bloody hell he was going to fix it though. Aiden Hoynes was bound to Rose Tyler for the remainder of his life. She could go anywhere she pleased, but if he strayed too far from her he would suffer. He'd be lying if he said he didn't care if she hated him or not. He wanted the insufferable woman to actually like him. But more than this, he wanted to at least see her. He yearned to run with her, and not just in parks. His legs and heart ached to be able to run for miles on end with their mistakes and pain far behind them. Of course he hungered for her deeply. He'd never felt more tormented than when she took that intoxicatingly delicious scent with her as she stormed off from their row in the woods. She hadn't intended to be cruel but it was painful. He'd have taken a broken bone easier than her fine hips escaping his clutches. At any rate, it was an incredible incentive to get Rose on his side. Not that he'd admit it to a fucking soul, but the man was desperate.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much to KTRose for the beta! You're the best! <3 
> 
> This chapter is NSFW

Once again Aiden slipped behind enemy lines, Torchwood, to reason with Rose. All the operatives shot him daggers as he snaked his way through their compound. His ability to flash his government badge was wearing on them, and it wouldn’t be long before they’d find an excuse to keep him out. He barely got in this time, having to argue and brute force his way through. Not that he cared, but it wasn’t earning him any favors. Rose’s friend Mickey tried to stop him when he’d reached the corridor her office was on. He was coated in her scent, had just been there. 

 

“Rose is in a right foul mood so I’m not having you skulking in there making it worse, ‘cause you know who’ll get the brunt of her fury?” He jabbed his chest with his finger. “Me, that’s who. And anyway why’re you always coming round to Rose’s office, hmm? Trying to score yourself a date? Can’t think of any other reason you keep bugging her. Same as every other bloke. Well let me tell you something mister pompous arse,” he poked Aiden’s chest and it took a great deal of restraint to not bite the idiot’s finger off, “Rose ain’t interested in your type. Really any type. So don’t even bother. I’m not letting you past.”

 

“Move, whelp,” Aiden growled, shoving Mickey aside. “Rose is  _ more  _ than capable of fending for herself.”

 

Were Aiden in Mickey’s shoes he’d have pummeled him. But Mickey simply stood there dumbfounded as Aiden strutted past him and down the corridor into Rose’s office. Before he even opened the door her rage found its way to his ears through her galloping heartbeat. A day later she was still livid with him. He couldn’t blame her. 

 

“Oh no no no. You. Out!” Rose fired at him the moment she laid eyes on him. 

 

No. Hell no. He was  _ not _ marching his uptight arse into her office again. Into her sight, period. What, had he come to gloat? Rub it in that he’d had her fooled? No thank you. One press of a button and the arrogant twat would be in shackles on his way to a cage with his name on it. And he knew it. He’d seen the cages for himself. But he still deigned to show his pretty boy face. 

 

Aiden barred the door with his body. “I’m not going anywhere until you listen to what I have to say, Rose Tyler.” 

 

“You’re a Class A wanker. Nothing you can say could forgive what you’ve done. So I’ll politely request you fuck off before I pull out my gun.”

 

“Just hear me out this once and I’ll never bother you again. I need you to understand what I’m going to tell you because it’s all important for you to know as a werewolf, particularly in your case. You won’t find this information in your libraries I’ll tell you that. Humans are woefully misinformed.” 

 

“You speak as though you lot are better than humans.”

 

“ _ Us _ lot. And  _ we  _ are. We’re  _ more _ than humans.  _ You’re _ more than a human, never forget it. It matters.” He approached the desk and sat down to appear less hostile. Rose stiffened up but remained quiet. He sighed while mentally debating over where to start. “No two werewolves are alike, same as humans. We’re not all monsters. Ah ah - no. Let me speak.” Rose opened her mouth and raised her finger, heart rate picking up slightly. “Despite what you might think we don’t all go attacking innocent humans in alleys leaving them for dead. Those are the ones you’re hunting, yes? Well, werewolf society refers to them as mutts.”

 

“Mutts.” Rose pondered the word in the same manner a cat would cream gone sour. Aiden paused for the inevitable question, and it came with a great deal of disdain. He couldn’t be certain if this was Rose angry at him or at her state. Either way he was at fault. “What’s that make me then? Are you a mutt? Seeing as how you’ve gone round attacking people.” 

 

Aiden bit back a snarl. In the world of werewolves calling a pack wolf a mutt was tantamount to calling someone a bastard. “I am  _ not _ a mutt. Mutts are wolves who have been turned by other mutts or those who’ve been turned who live outside the society and its rules. I come from a long line of werewolves. A bloodline, one of the oldest in England. I’m what’s called a pack wolf. You’re neither a mutt nor a pack wolf.” 

 

“Yeah and that’s  _ your _ fault! I didn’t ask for any of this!”

 

Aiden schooled his breaths and blinked slowly.  _ Do this right _ , he told himself. A lot was hanging on this exchange going well. “Mutts have been causing problems for us for a millenia. It’s nothing new. They didn't always exist. Every wolf used to belong to a pack. But like humans werewolves aren't immune to the ravages of war. Since our inception we've been hunted by humans. Some of us at that time disagreed with how the situation should be handled. The wolves that are now called mutts wanted to kill the humans, creating a world where we - werewolves - would be the dominant species rather than them. The rest disagreed, wanting to create a society with rules and standards to live by to keep our species better than humans as they'd always been. Well. They called it pure, but I'm certain I don't need to tell you how wrong that sounds. 

 

“At any rate, the werewolf society's rules vary with culture from country to country. But what remains consistent is mutts running completely wild. They either try to completely ignore their humanity or their inner wolf. Both lead to self destruction. The mind can't handle it. It's like..." he grasped for a proper analogy, "suppressing stress or choosing to not get sleep multiple days in a row. A proper werewolf lives in harmony with both, using what he's been blessed with to his advantage. Mutts don't do this. They don't have anyone to teach them, or if they do they don't care. That's why they're dangerous. Both for humans and for pack wolves."

 

He was fine until that word. Blessed. It rubbed Rose wrong in the worst sort of way. Her upper lip twitched, she felt the fury sing in her blood. She was so angry, she was actually doing the math of how long it'd take her to get her Beretta out of the desk and shoot him. 

 

"Blessed?! Is that what I am?! What, like you're some werewolf Jesus out to bestow your gift on me?!" Her voice was shrill toward the end of that,  and the look she gave him didn't hide her disgust at all. Thank god for soundproofing.  "You nearly ripped me apart! I... I don't even know how the hell I survived that, waking up in my own house,  scared and naked and not certain what the hell else I survived and you have the  _ balls  _ to call me blessed?!" Her fists were clenched, legs apart, ready to knock him out.

 

Aiden growled, nostrils flaring and lips curling. His reminder of why he was there pouring himself out to Rose was all that tethered him to any semblance of calm. 

 

"I had the best of intentions, I assure you. As I told you in the woods, I'm not just looking after my species. I have two children, one who will definitely become a werewolf and another who might. My pups. Either way they're in danger. And that's Torchwood's doing. I had to find a way to stop you. Beforehand all I was thinking was one life for many. I knew it was wrong but I was desperate." Aiden's lips curled into a slight pout, appealing to Rose's sympathy. "When I saw you lying there I panicked. It wasn't part of the plan, biting you. But it was either that or you die. I'd never killed anyone before and I wasn't... I decided you weren't going to be the first. What I did was an incredible sacrifice on my part but it was the only way to save you."

 

Rose was starting to feel a change in her when he discussed his kids. For some reason, her train of thought changed from how much she wanted to kill that sonofabitch in front of her to children. She was filled with a deep urge - one many women had, but this was different. Powerful. She needed puppies, and she needed them  _ right now _ . Her mind went in a rush to how it would be possible to become pregnant in a hurry. The thoughts came without her permission, nearest male specimen, encouragement, puppies. 2 + 2 = 4. Her breathing started to increase, and she felt a weird sweat coming to her palm. Before she could fully either embrace it or panic, Aiden continued talking, and suddenly her ire was back full force, puppies be damned. 

 

"Oh,  _ well _ ." she said with a sardonic laugh. "A thousand pardons, oh almighty savior," the sarcasm dripped heavily from every word, made worse when she gave him a deep bow. "Please do forgive me for not recognizing the great sacrifice of the messiah! Let's completely forget that if it weren't for  _ your actions _ , I wouldn't have been dying in the first place! You made a move, wolf man, and you didn't have the balls to follow through with it. You got guilty, decided you suddenly had a conscience and didn't want my blood on your hands. Too late!"

 

She felt the beginnings of claws biting into her hands as she clenched harder, reminded of when he'd first seen her change in this office. 

 

"Then, after pussying out, instead of actually talking to me and helping me with the choice  _ you  _ made, you give me some random wolf at night and make me fear for my life during the day! You got some sick thrill out of scaring the life out of me, didn't you?! Making sure I knew that the only family I've got would see me dead or put in some experiment lab before ever listening! I'd be better off dead!" she snarled, her teeth becoming fangs without her realizing it. "You didn't do this for  _ me _ , you did it for  _ you _ ! I'm not going to be your feelgood cheerleader and tell you how thankful I am that thou hast decided to spare me after nearly murdering me!"

 

There was so much more that Aiden needed to tell Rose but he was beginning to feel she wasn't going to listen when he saw her beginning to change. He'd come to make steps in the right  direction, towards healing and understanding. But since he'd bitten Rose all he'd done as a human was make it all worse. In that regard Rose was right. She made him feel as though his wolf side and human side weren't in perfect harmony as he thought they were. Rose could easily be to blame. He hadn't had any of these problems before. But it did little to dampen his resolve and his plan. Just redirected his course a bit.   
  
"Rose," Aiden smoothed over. "I need you to calm down. You're, ah, in heat - estrus - and that's going to impact your ability to control the change. But only if you let it and your emotions get to you. So just relax. I can help you. I'm certain I don't need to tell you here is not the place to change. I can clear everything up for you. But you'll need to breathe, relax, pull back a little."   
  
As soon as the words were out of his mouth Aiden knew they were the wrong ones. She had a spectacularly efficient way of clouding his mind and muddling his words.

 

In heat. Those words sparked something in Rose, but she didn't have a chance to truly consider them. Calm down, said the man who'd tormented her for two months. Relax, said the man who'd nearly killed her. Let me take care of everything. She couldn't breathe, it felt like all of the air in the room had been removed. The feeling she'd had since first waking up from the attack that'd turned her --feeling like she was desperately clinging to the earth while being yanked away-- came back full force. She couldn't stop herself, feeling her ears change, and then there was extreme pain in her backside as her tail tried to sprout but was stopped by her jeans. 

 

"Help me?! Take care of everything?! Like you did last time?!" It was pure snarl, deeper than her normal voice. 

 

Her mind suddenly went completely clear, and things added up the way they only could for an animal in the wild, something that made all of her Torchwood training make sense to her in ways she'd always rebelled against. "How about  _ I _ take care of  _ YOU _ ?!" 

 

The change ripped through her, faster than it'd been even after weeks of fighting it, and her clothing shredded painfully against her skin. It stung far worse than it ever had. She would have ended up on the ground sobbing if it was a regular change. But this time she was too furious, running on adrenaline and damn near hatred - although a lot of that hatred was pointed inward. She launched herself at the bastard, paws finding purchase on his shoulders as she knocked him to the ground. She held him down, snarling and biting at him, fighting against his attempts to hold her back and trying to nail him anywhere she could. She wanted to rip his smug, smarmy face off! She growled viciously, raking her claws against the floor as she barely missed his chest.

 

Aiden fell flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Rose could very well kill him. She was a trained assassin and a wolf with deadly personal weapons at her disposal. If Aiden didn't stop her she very likely _would_ kill him. And he wouldn't blame her, no matter how irrational and emotional she was being. He could never hurt her anymore, not even if he wanted to. He could fight back, but inflicting any physical pain would be returned to him via the pact through the bite.   
  
"Rose, Rose stop!" he shouted as though she would listen. "I can't hurt you. I won't. Not anymore. Stop! Urgh, if you'd get off me and listen I can show you and explain! I can _protect_ you! I'm not a threat to you! Don't let your anger -"   
  
Before he could finish the door flew open and that babbling idiot friend of Roses’ burst through, eyes blown wide in shock. Aiden had essentially told him to fuck off but clearly he hadn't taken the hint. But he didn't think Mickey was there from watching the security cameras based on what he shouted at them.   
  
"Oh my god!" the whelp shouted into the hallway. "Wolf! Werewolf! Oh my god a wolf got Rose!"  
  
"I've got this!" Aiden grunted, pushing at Rose to get her off him but she wouldn't relent. "Get out of here!" He barked when the shouty git didn’t budge.   
  
Much to Aiden’s surprise, Mickey actually listened and darted out the door taking off down the hallway. But Aiden would be fooling himself if he entertained the belief that he'd _stay_ gone. Mickey was still an agent and they were still inside Torchwood walls. Very much in danger. Mickey would be back with guns and reinforcements. Not only that, Aiden and Rose were a pair of werewolves deep within one of the most heavily armed buildings in Britain, partly dedicated to hunting them down. Aiden let his fear mingle with instinct. Together they took hold and ripped through him much in the same fashion they had for Rose. The only difference was he could at least reason with her and guide her in his wolf form. Maybe she would actually follow his direction. He hoped. If not for her sake, for his, as his lifeblood was tied to her well being.   
  
He would find out sooner than he'd like. Mickey returned in less than a minute, just barely enough time for Aiden to complete the change. He was really going to fucking feel it the next day, and Rose wouldn't even appreciate that, he groused. Changing so fast was never good for a wolf, and he hadn't been in such an emergency in years. Not important right now, he told himself.   
  
Mickey was back with Pete in tow, both toting rifles. Neither of them hesitated before opening fire. Aiden darted in front of Rose, snarling with every drop of ferocity in his body. If Rose was wounded enough Aiden could die. But that was beside the point. He needed her forgiveness before she was allowed to perish. He was _not_ dying before he earned it. No fucking way. He charged at Pete first, taking him down and pushing him into the door so it'd fly open for them. Rose froze and Mickey kept shooting, but also kept missing because he was too frazzled and emotional, tears streaking his face. It gave Aiden a window to bark at Rose, urging her into action. They needed to move. Fast. Rose would know the best way out of the place. Alarms began blaring, so he instantly knew the front entrance he'd strolled in was not an option. He followed Rose's lead.

 

Rose hadn't been able to truly hear a word he was saying. It had all gone in one ear and out the other, since all that had been on her mind was to kill him. Bite bite bite, taste his blood and make him fight. She wanted to fight him, and she wanted to crush his throat under her jaws. Rose was still fighting him, hard, but for some reason holding back from the actual killing blow that she was more than able to pass him and do. She could have easily shredded his hands and ripped his throat out, but for some reason she wouldn't do it. She just kept attacking and making him fight her off. 

 

Suddenly, the door opened, and she barely noticed it - just noticed he was no longer paying attention to her. It infuriated her. She actually threw her head back and howled with rage. It was her first one, and she didn't genuinely feel anything behind it other than frustration. She couldn't even kill him, what sort of agent was she?! A failure. A traitor. Her fury started up again when she saw Aiden changing. The wolf in her was confused, because while the human knew him as her enemy, the wolf recognized her friend. More than that, recognized a male - one perfectly capable of getting her pregnant. Her mind was a tornado of thoughts. The only thing that interrupted that was the bullets whizzing by. She heard them so quickly, watching in horror as her friend attacked her father, but seeing no choice. Her nightmare had come true. 

 

She ran, feeling the heat of a near miss from one of the bullets, and then another. It was getting closer, her father must be shooting. Suddenly, Pete yelled for Micks to stop, and she knew he had to have figured it out. Who she was. Who her friend was. Rose looked at Aiden with wide eyes, before they narrowed and her training kicked in. He was her battle comrade in these moments, and she needed to get him out. She ran down the hall, knowing these corridors like the back of her hand. Three rights, two lefts, down a far stretch of hallway to an elevator. She hit the button with her paws, and bless if the damn thing wasn't on their floor. She ran into it, and waited for him to do the same before hitting the button for the surface. They moved up quickly, a similar elevator seen in Torchwood's Cardiff campus. She nodded at some clips on a table, and picked one up in her mouth, carefully. She shoved it on him, a strange adhesive holding it in place on his fur. She did the same to herself, only able to work it on her paw. The feelings hadn't hit her yet, but the adrenaline was draining from her and they were about to. 

 

When the elevator pinged, the doors opened up to the waterfront, right beside the London Eye - showing Hoynes that Torchwood was bigger than he'd likely been shown. She ran out, the perception filter on them both keeping anyone from seeing them at all. A man tripped over Aiden to further prove this point, and ended up looking down, muttering "Stupid bloody city, can't even fix it's sidewalks..." as he kept going. Rose was walking, but each step was slower until she stopped moving altogether, beginning to whimper. 

 

Her dad had shot at her. Her dad had tried to kill her. Micks had tried to kill her. She stopped moving and began pacing in distress, eyes blown wide with sadness and terror.

 

Aiden's heart flailed wildly in his chest as he traversed the city streets with Rose. His every instinct told him to go and hide, not traipse around in open daylight as a wolf. Not a soul saw him, yet Aiden couldn't shake the feeling that every pair of human eyes were on him, about to kill him. If Torchwood had been harboring technology that could render him invisible, he shuddered to think about the damage they could do to his species.    
  
But what was going through his mind was of no consequence. His companion slowed the further they got from Torchwood. She was too fit to be fatigued already. They'd run for miles before she ever needed to stop. Aiden hadn't put any thought to what she'd just endured until she stopped altogether on the sidewalk in the middle of a busy street. He pressed his nose to her neck to check her vitals when she began whimpering. Just fine. At least on the outside. Aiden couldn't be concerned with Rose's aching heart just then, he told himself. She wouldn't get to mourn a broken heart if he didn't get them to safety. He nudged her arse to get up, suppressing the urge to growl and bark at her for fear he'd be heard. But she wouldn't fucking budge.

 

The worst idea came to mind to get them moving along. And it was their only option. Dread prickled Aiden's skin beneath his fur. No choice. He had to. Holding tight to the invisibility chip Rose gave him, he began to change in the middle of the sidewalk. Every inch of his skin was awash with fear and shame for taking such an intensely private event public. Instincts were shouting at him just how intensely and acutely _wrong_ it was. It was potentially the riskiest thing he’d ever done. To be perfectly clear, Rose was the only person he'd ever risk so much for. Every couple seconds Aiden's head darted about as his body shifted, making certain he still couldn't be seen. People bumped into him, tripped over him, and he wanted to bite their faces off. Just that they’d touched him had bile rising in his gullet. Not important, he coached himself.   
  
He scooped a despondent wolf Rose into his naked human arms and held her close to his chest as he began walking to his flat. They were still so many blocks away. And now he couldn't run, not like this. He spoke to her the whole way, knowing full well she wouldn't be listening. But she surely must have needed something to ground her. He promised her he'd keep her safe and that everything would be okay. She dryly whimpered into the cold November air, staring off into nothingness.   
  
Strong as he was, Aiden was naked in the cold, walking barefoot on unforgiving pavement, with a fully grown wolf in his arms. His arms were screaming and his feet blistered, teeth chattering before he reached his place. He thanked the stars for his hide-a-key rock in the garden and practically fell into the door. After slamming it shut and setting down Rose, Aiden collapsed onto the wooden floor just before reaching his mobile. He needed to ring Craig.

 

Rose had been in shock, a whimpering mess. She had barely noticed him change, too busy in her own mind. Her eyes had been glossy, and her mouth moved a bit, as though she’d been trying to speak. Her dad was the most important person to her, second only to Micks. She could literally trace her entire life with them both, from rags to riches, and every happy, sad, mad memory she had involved those two. She'd joined Torchwood with Micks. He'd been the one she'd cried on when she'd made her first kill. That was her best friend, and he'd shot at her and tried to kill her without a second thought. He'd wanted her dead, her own dad wanted her dead -- she was reliving every painful mission she'd ever had with Micks, her Dad, Jake... all of her coworkers at Torchwood. But they'd been so much more than that. People she'd fought and nearly died for, people who had died in the line of duty, and then her mum. The most painful memory she had. 

 

She’d heard her heartbeat in her ears as she was picked up, barely noticed it. She’d just kept whimpering, the jostling of her body as Aiden moved with her only moving her memory to the last time they were all in a Humvee together, discussing their mission as though it was just reading the paper. Inevitably, Jake had started singing. 'Counting Flowers On The Wall', his favorite. 

 

As soon as Aiden stumbled into his house, she remembered bullets flying, explosions, mixtures of different fights and missions and then her eyes barely cleared enough to notice Aiden on the ground. All she knew was that was her battle comrade, he... he was on the ground, after bullets... she yelped loudly, and began to dig at the ground near him, pawing at his back and trying to search for a wound. She let out a bark-howl of distress, digging at the carpet one more time in a frantic sort of panic before starting to pant, hysterically yelping at this point. She didn't see him move, whether he was or wasn't. He was dead in her mind, everything was, and she rolled right back into shock, swaying on her own feet. She ended up laying down, then getting back up, then laying down, nerves completely shot at this point and not knowing what to do. He was the most arrogant twat she’d ever met and she’d done her best to try and kill him, but he’d still rescued her all the same. Worry and panic pushed her hatred aside for the time being. 

 

Aiden was roused by Rose's frantic fretting. He reached up and made the shape of a mouth with his hand, "chewing" her fur to secure her as he assured her, "I'm fine, fine. Just got worn out." After wrapping up the distraught wolf in a blanket from the living room couch he swore to high heaven.   
  
His fucking mobile was at Torchwood. And no doubt the operatives were already pouring over it. He'd have to devise a way to get it. Or remotely destroy it. Was that possible? Before he rang Craig he contacted his cellular provider and had them remotely deactivate his mobile. In a world of cyber-controlling earbuds he thanked the stars that technology could short out his mobile from a distance. It was his only saving grace. But at the same time if he'd had it on him Torchwood could've traced their steps and hunted them down so it was just as well that he left it.   
  
With that settled Aiden rang Craig and gave him a very specific list of instructions. Take a cab to Torchwood and fetch his car. Pick up the children from school, swing by the grocer's for supplies, and bring them home. He instructed Craig to help them pack up belongings once he got them home. They were leaving the city post-haste. No time to waste.   
  
Barely an hour later, Craig was pulling up with his children. Following a quick shower and packing up his own things, Aiden spent the entire time sat with the Rose-burrito on the couch comforting her. In her normal state she'd be biting his face off. She must have been truly despondent for letting him pet her (a very serious taboo amongst wolves unless they were quite close, mind).   
  
Ruby squealed at the sight of a wolf on their couch while Noah backed into a wall. They might have been human children still, but their wolf instincts were present (whether Ruby would end up turning or not, she still had them) and ran deep. A wolf they didn't recognize - a female at that - was in their home. This set Noah off while Ruby rushed up and tried to greet her.   
  
"Ruby, Ruby, stop. This is a … friend of mine, and she’s been through quite a lot. Now's not the time, you'll give her a fright. Now go on and get packed. Craig will help you. We haven't got much time."   
  
"But Daddy," she whined.   
  
"Not now, Ruby. Go on," he said, gently squeezing her shoulders as he whirled her around in the direction of the hall to their rooms.   
  
Aiden helped talk down Noah while Craig assisted Ruby. Once he explained to Noah where they were going he calmed considerably. He hated the city and all of its noises. His favorite tent was back at their Hertfordshire estate north of London. It was a strong incentive for cooperation.  
  
Twenty minutes later they were piling the pups into the car with their belongings as well as food and supplies. Aiden picked up Rose and carefully carried her into the backseat with Noah. He'd have liked to leave her in Craig's car as they drove but he had no clue how Rose would react to being with a stranger. So he had Ruby ride with Craig, much to his little diva's frustration, while Noah and Rose rode with Aiden in the SUV.   
  
While Ruby was extroverted and friendlier to strangers, she wasn't remotely calm. Surprisingly, when Noah wasn't suffering an anxiety attack he could be quite calming and soothing. Having Rose to distract him kept his anxiety at bay. And it was Aiden's hope that an innocent, calm presence would keep her tethered. Aiden told Noah to introduce himself and hold Rose's paw, promising that she was friendly, just sad. He did so begrudgingly at first, but soon took to the task in earnest, holding Rose's wolf paw in his lap and mapping her digits with his fingers as Aiden and Craig sped out of London towards the Hoynes estate. If she minded his lecture on his current favorite airplanes and routes she didn’t show it. 

Amongst everything that had happened, Rose had started to come down here and there, her hysteria slowly wearing off. For some reason, that hand motion from Aiden had made her realize he was alive, but beyond that, not much could be sussed. Her comrade had spoken to her, and the petting had felt good - it relaxed her. Her nerves had still been shot, but she'd stopped howling after about ten minutes. She had still been panting on and off, and seeing new random people in her vicinity did nothing to help this. 

Ruby's happiness only made her try to walk through the back of the couch. The little girl hadn't done anything amiss, she just hadn’t been in the right frame of mind and all of the happiness had been overwhelming. The instant Aiden left her side to go help his children Rose noticed, and she’d begun to pace, quickly. Too much, too much danger. He was still in the room, he was fine, but then he left. She stood up, struggling against the blanket until a car backfired. She’d been going on pure instinct and adrenaline, and let out a series of high pitched barks, becoming short howls as she sought where he'd gone. She let out a mournful cry at the thought of him being dead. He was gone from her sight, he was dead, the kids were dead. Everyone was dead, who could perform a kill shot that good? Jake. Jake could. 

Seeing Aiden again had left Rose confused and whimpering. She shifted from paw to paw until he lifted her up, ending her game of 'real, or not real?' with a firm 'real'. He was alive. He was there. He was her... he was her... she was in the car, and Aiden was away from her, which left her whimpering and in distress again. She had no solidarity to come out of her constant state of fear to process her heartbreak. She’d been too terrified that something was happening. She was going to lose him. She was. 

She’d felt a hand on her paw and fought her urge to yank it away. Even in her state, she recognized a child, a baby, she wanted to protect him. From herself. She’d let him stroke her paw, and her eyes had flickered a bit at the random comfort and distraction. After a few minutes, her cries and whimpers just stopped altogether, and she finally laid down, tucked right into Noah, staring at him as though he were the only thing in the entire world. 

She licked his hand a bit, which made Noah's lips twitch lightly at the tickle. He was used to the ways wolves showed affection, even though he usually didn't like too much affection -- for some reason, Rose didn't make him feel overwhelmed or smothered currently. He stroked up her leg a bit, tracing the way the fur felt so much softer than his dad's or Craig's did. She was made of softness, and it was strangely comforting. He began to talk about his favorite airplane, idly, and it was one Rose knew all too well. The Panavia Tornado GR4, one she'd actually flown before, she'd worked on it too when she was injured in the line of duty. She'd loved working in the hangar. His voice was a comfort, and he seemed to accept her curling into him. 

She was fast asleep in no time, sleeping sweetly even after they'd gotten to their destination. She only panicked when she jolted awake, no longer smelling the car or feeling Noah's presence. She tried to jerk up, frantically looking for him, and began digging at the bed she was on, seeing that she was all alone in a strange room she didn't know. She began the high pitched barks again, but instead of letting out a howl of distress, the piercing howl that came from her mouth was one of a mother seeking her pup, one who was lost and needed to hear her. It was half mournful, half high pitched, making sure it would go long distance if outside. Noah's head jerked up automatically when he heard it, and he clutched the sides of the table. Routine told him to stay at the table, like his father had told him to, where it was safe and things were fine. But something about the sound of her howl made him want to go back to her, and hold her paw again. 

Noah became visibly distressed by the seemingly impossible decision, looking at his father. "... I want to go see Rose. I want to see her. I want to see her! Let me see her!" He began to have a meltdown right there, torn between what one budding half of his instincts told him to do -- go to that sound -- and what his human instincts told him to do - obey his father.

 

Rose was digging frantically at the bedroom door, before howling again.

 

Just the one time Aiden gave in to Noah's anxiety. Perhaps Rose and Noah were better for one another than he initially thought. It gave him a chance to relieve Craig for the night. So while he let Noah go to Rose he had Ruby help him unpack their belongings and get her into bed. He answered Ruby's one hundred questions about the mysterious wolf downstairs before reading her a story until she fell asleep. 

 

He’d situated Rose in his master suite on the main level of the vast manor. That’s where he found Noah - curled up next to Rose on his king size four poster bed. Aiden couldn’t bring himself to disturb them just yet, so he shuffled over to the suite’s sitting room and got a fire going in the fireplace. It was only when he sunk into the couch that the day’s events hit him. All the arguing, running for their lives, sneaking through busy London, carrying Rose back to his flat, piling them all into the cars, driving off to the estate well above the speed limit. Aiden hadn’t gone on autopilot like that since he was a teen running from local hunters. 

 

But nobody had it worse than Rose. Everything that had happened was his fault, especially this time. Had he not gone to Torchwood to reason with her, the nature of her species would’ve remained a secret, at least for the time being. She wouldn’t have been forced to endure her own loved ones attempting to kill her. Eventually they’d have worked it out. Aiden was bitterly convinced of this. But perhaps he could’ve fully prepared her for being a werewolf prior to their finding out. Maybe they could have even worked  _ with _ Torchwood, who knew? Now? Slim chance. 

 

Aiden’s plans changed to hunkering down at his estate an hour outside London. It was off the highway a good ways, off a little country road. The driveway through their estate was five miles long, and the main house - a thousand-year-old castle - was at the end of it. Between Aiden and his cousins living on the estate in its other houses, it was well defended. They were safe. Beyond this, he still had a conversation to finish with Rose, its importance not remotely lessened by the emergency. 

 

If he could just get Noah to bed. Picking him up without disturbing him or Rose proved to be quite the task. But he managed by carefully scraping his pup off the bed and slowly walking him upstairs. Aiden settled Noah in his tent and kissed his forehead, watching him a moment before slipping away. Never had it occurred to him that his pups might actually get along with Rose. Of course in his deep thoughts where he secretly yearned to bring her into his pack he hoped for it. Today could’ve easily been a fluke and the next time Noah and Rose interacted she could cause a complete meltdown. Difficult to say. 

 

When Aiden returned to his master suite he didn’t immediately sit down next to Rose. He watched her sleep fitfully for a moment. It took him that long to fully process that the female he’d offered his lifeblood to (he’d have preferred to say that he’d made a pact with her but she made no such agreement, only he had) was in his home. Ripping Rose away from the only family she knew was far from ideal. But this, her on his bed, wasn’t entirely a bad thing. He could work with this. 

 

Rose had been losing her mind. Her baby was gone, her baby was gone! She'd howled loudly, calling for the boy to come back to her, the sound becoming less high pitched and more mournful at the thought of never seeing him again. But then the door she’d been frantically digging at opened, and there he was. Noah. 

 

He might as well have sparkled, an angel from the heavens the way she’d expelled all her breath in wonder before instantly tugging him by his shirt to the bed. For Noah's part, he’d let her and sat down, looking to her as she’d gotten to sniffing him. He’d calmly reached his arms out, one at a time; then his legs, and his hair. She jumped up onto the bed and sniffed at his hands again, finding that his hands were a bit dirty with some flecks of food from him having his meltdown. She gave him a reproving look, snorting a bit before cleaning both hands and nuzzling them. She laid down comfortably, so that he’d been between her front and hind legs (where she could protect him, clearly) and she watched him with this dazed, caring stare. Noah had been her tether, and caring for him seemed to keep her sane. Noah had begun to tell her why he'd left, in that calm way he had about him when he was perfectly sure of his surroundings -- which, for such a break in his routine, he should  _ not  _ be - and he’d set his toy plane on the mattress, right next to her. 

 

"We had potatoes. Corn. … I wanted sandwiches, but Dad said no." 

 

This made Rose jerk up and give Aiden a stern growl. It wasn't the murderous tone she'd given him earlier that day, but her lip twitched at him as though she were considering bitching him out for making a choice about his own son. Noah had talked to her until he fell asleep under her watchful eye. As soon as he was deep asleep, cuddled into her, she’d begun to rub the scent on her neck all over the boy, gently, so he stayed asleep. For some reason, the boy should smell like her, she just knew he should. Once she was done, she’d begun to groom his hair a bit, then nuzzled into him, falling asleep, gently. 

 

Her eyes had snapped open when she’d heard a creak of the floorboards. She gave Aiden a distrustful look, eyes narrowed as though it were him trying to steal the boy rather than Craig making noise upstairs. She fell asleep again, arm around the boy, tail curled around his ankle, just to make the tetris of removing Noah from her more difficult, it seemed. She stayed asleep due to the pure exhaustion of the day, but she felt his absence acutely. She began to whimper, and by the time Aiden came back, her nightmare - a much more real version of her nightmare she'd had before becoming a werewolf about being hunted as one - was making her run in place in her sleep. She began to struggle, eyes snapping open. It took her about two seconds to realize Noah was gone. She instantly started scoping through the sheets, sniffing and looking around, frantic. She jumped off the bed and looked around, even going so far as to go crawling underneath the bed, looking for him. She jumped back up on the bed, letting out whimpers and giving Aiden an accusatory stare, pawing at his shoulder. She let out a singing yelp, multiple whines in a row, sounding like she was sobbing and begging all at once.

 

Aiden sat down next to Rose and gently pushed her down to the mattress with his hand. To a human eye it would look like he was then holding her down when in actuality he was attempting to secure her. And he knew it’d work because by all appearances Rose had fallen entirely onto her inner wolf. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen this happen. But with a female it took a very different course, which Aiden was very much okay with, as it involved less destruction of his furniture. There was another factor at play here, however; one that Aiden believed Rose wasn’t aware of. 

 

“Hey, relax, will you? It’s okay. As I said before all this mess, you’re in heat.” He hated to be the one to explain all this but there was nobody else for Rose. “You and your inner wolf both have a cycle and every few months they’ll align themselves. Stress exacerbates estrus... Evidently.” 

 

He tried to hide his grimace but female matters were not at all his forte. Aiden was no doctor (or veterinarian, to that end) and all he knew about female werewolves came from dated books and stories from his grandfather - some of which could very well have been wrong. 

 

“Noah needs to sleep but he’ll be here in the morning. We can’t return to London with Torchwood hunting us so if you want someplace safe you’re always welcome here. You need your rest too.” He brought his hand to her forehead and combed his fingers through her fur. “And I know it’s all my fault. I’ll find a way to make it up to you, I promise. There’s so much that I need to explain to you, if you’ll listen. Either way I’m here for you. We are. This pack, our home. You’re not alone. No wolf should ever have to be.” He swallowed hard. “We… you should lie low for a while and I’ll do whatever I can to help. Help  _ them _ understand what’s going on with you. Once everything cools down and it’s safe.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m so, so sorry,” he pouted, blubbering into her downy fur. “I wouldn’t blame you for never forgiving me but I swear to you I would never hurt anyone. Never again, certainly not you. Unless anyone hurt you, then I can’t make any promises.”

 

Rose’s anxiety picked up with each breath. Noah had a firm hold on her thoughts. Caring for Aiden’s child had grounded her. She didn't have to think about what'd happened if she needed to care for Noah, precious, pup Noah. She was without a den, without a family, and her hormones were making her fear worse. Aiden’s hand on her shoulder, pushing her down, something about it made breathing easier. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, remaining down on the bed. When he told her to relax, she gave him a nasty look out of the corner of her wolf’s eye. She was trying to listen to him, she really was; but she was fighting this urge to roll her eyes at him. Noah's name got her attention, so she hung on to every word that followed. Morning. Morning wasn't far away. Handful of hours. She.... didn't quite understand that right now.   
  
The fingers combing through her fur made her eyes flicker closed, until she’d realized that she smelled... food. Her belly rumbled but she ignored it, staring up at the blonde enigma while he spoke to her. She’d picked out a few words here and there that she truly felt she understood. Hunting. Torchwood. Safe. Rest. Pack. Home. As angry as Rose had been during their last interaction, she inhaled deeply of his hair as he cried on her. Instead of the human thought of 'bastardass who lied to me and blackmailed me,' her inner wolf just recognized her running mate. The one who'd fed her, taught her things. Rose's inner wolf and her human self weren’t at all connected in the way Aiden's were, so it almost felt like being possessed by a demon or something - she was completely out of control of her own thoughts and body in this state. 

 

She leaned down and began to nudge his nose a bit, as though it were a muzzle. She narrowed her eyes, sniffing him again as though she couldn't believe that he actually looked like that. She poked his cheek a few times with her nose, then began to lick his face, trying to comfort him. She felt his distress, just didn't fully understand it or why he was saying all this. She'd mostly shut down anything human in her -- being human meant emotions, and those  _ hurt  _ right now. She knew what'd happened. She knew that her father had tried to kill her, she remembered every pain-filled moment. But her running mate being equally distressed just made it worse.   
  


She gave him a slight chuff, trying to get his attention, and scratched a bit at his chest in a completely different way than she had earlier. This wasn't trying to kill, this was a scratch that was gentle, prying her friend. She whined in fear due to his reaction, and her tail was between her legs, hair raising up on end. She didn't know how to fix a crying human being. He had the wrong parts, and wasn't responding in a way she understood, which raised her stress levels. She finally gave up, and rested her neck on his neck, ears drawn back. Her heart was going a million miles a minute, and she kept looking up at him out of the corner of her eye, and then back to the wall, and then back at him, then back to the wall, her whole body trembling against his as though she were vibrating.

 

“Shh shh, it’s all right,” Aiden soothed as he brought the blonde wolf into a spoon. There was a lot they needed to sort out, but it could wait until the shock wore off. “We’re at my private estate, just over an hour outside of London. You could say we’re well off the beaten path here, we barely get cell coverage in some places. All the houses are family owned, and they border a massive forest; one that’s survived wars of both humans and werewolves alike. It’s been safe to run in for centuries. You’ll be safe here, for as long as you need to heal.” 

 

Cuddling with Rose under a thick stack of blankets in his bedroom wasn’t the end Aiden had predicted to his day. He’d anticipated skulking back to his flat with his tail between his legs, licking his wounds. Having failed to tell Rose some of his more important points, like what her bite really meant, it was nearly impossible to tell what the morning would bring. 

 

As the fire crackled and hissed Aiden pondered continuing to explain to Rose what he’d set out to earlier in the day, but she wasn’t in the right state of mind for it. So he calmly told her the history of their species dating back to well before ancient Rome. He never used the words Rose would’ve thought if she were in her right mind - instead he gave a full family history, one that spanned the Sabines, Peloponneso, and even some hints at royal lines. He relayed tales of the various British bloodlines, including the noble Hoynes, as small as they’d become over the years. He told her what he knew about female werewolves, which wasn’t much. 

 

If she was even listening maybe it would foster a sense of pride. If she cared to know any of it he’d have to repeat it to her later when she wasn’t a trembling puppy. The sound of his voice seemed to help in some way, at least. Maybe it was a break in the quiet, but he wanted to believe it was his presence that was harnessing her. 

 

He lost track of time while fostering and nursing a sense of calm. Rose whimpered herself to sleep, tucked safely in his arms. Aiden couldn’t shake the fact that this was the same wolf that had been hellbent on killing him earlier - the same one that was more than capable of doing so, if the rumors about Torchwood training were at all true. He wasn’t about to blame it all on hormones after being so horrible to her. He’d seen the rage and anguish on her face, and they were  _ very _ real. 

 

He had a hard time wanting to regret his actions in that particular moment with her ripe scent invading his senses. 

 

He shouldn’t have blackmailed her. 

 

He shouldn’t have been so harsh. 

 

He could’ve approached her better. 

 

But if he hadn’t bitten her, the beautiful wolf wouldn’t be nestled in his bed. All of her sadness and terror was gone in sleep, and her relaxed face was something he realized he’d never seen when they were both standing on two legs. He ached to see her calm in his presence, at the very least. It strengthened his resolve to make amends with her and get in her good graces. These thoughts carried him slowly into sleep. 

 

Sometime during their sleep, Rose had pulled away from him and slept more towards the middle of the king bed. She was completely separated from him, so when she woke up as a human nothing had really clicked yet, and the memories were nowhere near the forefront of her mind. She thought she was in her own room, wondering why she was exhausted. 

 

God, it felt like she had a fever. She was sweating, likely had been the entire night while she'd slept. It explained why she didn't have any covers on. 

 

The wetness was like a crazed itch between her legs, and she didn't hesitate to reach down and touch the soft skin below. She inhaled deeply, not processing the scents around her as she began to flick her middle finger against her clit in an upward diagonal motion, playing with nerves and swollen skin that already needed relief. She had no specific person in mind, just the images of being touched. The strength of her body’s response shocked her, because she’d never really been one to seek that out very often and when she did, it didn’t feel like that so quickly. It was ratcheting up to a point that made her nervous, so she slowed it back a bit. Sliding one finger inside of herself, she let out a soft cry and arched into the motion. 

 

She shuddered. 

 

It had never felt like this before, any time she'd ever done this. 

 

She was on fire, and becoming more desperate with every touch. Want. Need. More. Touch. She could almost feel the words scraping against her skin as she thought them. The images in her head of being touched converted to someone pistoning into her, a grip on her hips one she could almost feel. She pressed upward against that spot inside of herself, making her eyes widen and her mouth form a cry of shock. 

 

It'd never felt like  _ that _ before, either.

She whimpered, moving her touch back up to her throbbing clit, her body begging for more. She used two fingers, moving them from side to side on that sensitive button, covering her mouth to try to keep her sounds quiet. She'd always been embarrassed of making noise while touching herself. Growing up for most of her life in that small flat in the Estates with paper-thin walls had bred the habit in her, and now covering her mouth was even part of her arousal. She was almost there when her right leg needed adjusting for blood flow. She moved it over to the side to try to readjust her position without straining anything when she bumped a leg.

 

She froze, stomach going cold and clenching at the instant mixture of shock and fear. Her hand was trembling as it came off her mouth, fingers itching for a weapon because there should be no one else in her bed. Her head turned to the side, and the sight she met made it a good thing that she was laying down, else she could’ve been knocked over by a feather. Her widened eyes met Aiden's and she instantly took her hand off herself, mortification setting in and making her jerk back. She almost fell off the bed. 

 

"Oh god oh god oh god. I.... oh god." She glanced up from where she’d begun trying to suffocate herself with a pillow, flinching and looking away quickly. "I'm... sorry, this is. ... your bed,  I.... I'll wash the sheets... I..." 

 

She was going to die of embarrassment. 

 

What occurred yesterday suddenly came back in a rush, and the look on her face must've shown it. Her arousal was on the backburner for a moment, but still throbbing a bit, the blood not leaving the area. She squeezed her legs shut and had to swallow the moan. 

 

Heat. He'd said she was in heat. This. Jesus it was powerful. 

 

"Where? .... We're at your house, you said.... safe...?" She needed to force normal conversation,  but she was still beet red and stammering. She had literally never been so embarrassed in her entire life. She honestly would’ve preferred being caught by her parents than being caught by her worst enemy. In order to try to cover her bits, she chose to lay on her front. She didn't want clothing, she was too hot, but she needed a shield from him, so stomach would do.

 

Aiden, for his part, would’ve loved to think that finding Rose having a wank upon waking up meant she felt better. Yet in a way it wasn’t entirely bad where her werewolf integration was concerned. Not that she had much control. Werewolves were driven by two sets of hormones, Aiden included. Both were wanting him to do something stupid. He wasn’t entirely certain he wanted to stop them. He was bloody tired of being Rose’s source of pain and frustration. What if he could offer relief instead? She smelled fucking delicious, not that she was aware.  _ He  _ needed relief. 

 

If she was willing. 

 

He could be convincing. 

 

“The Hoynes Estate main house, yes. We’re safe. Well out of reach of any danger.” 

 

Aiden avoided calling Torchwood by name so he wouldn’t bring her back to the state she’d been in last night. 

 

Sitting up, he let the covers gently slip away down to his hips. While everything south of there was hidden, he put the hunger in his eyes on full display. She might have been face down, but some of her best features were still in showcase for him to see. It was all he could do to swallow a growl at the sight of her toned thighs and plush arse. Her scent combined with the view in front of him brought unbidden images to his mind of taking her from behind, her cries, that heat, the look on her face when she found completion.

 

“There’s no need to feel any shame for what comes naturally. You’re embracing what your body is doing, nothing wrong with that. And there’s no reason you should be alone in it.”

 

There, he’d said it, nearly purred it. Stupid erection-driven gob of his.

 

His words made her look at him in disbelief. If she'd been thinking properly, she'd have called him a pervert and possibly physically injured him. She knew, on some level, that his words merited a Tyler smack. Instead, she licked her lips, considering everything. She couldn’t stand him. But the way he smelled… that spicy musk, faded scent of cologne, sweat, arousal...

 

"You said I couldn't ignore it..." she was highlighting the first time she'd tried to attack him, in her office.  

 

He had no shirt on, and her eyes went along his chest before casting downward, seeing that his lower half was hidden under the sheets. No reason she should be alone? He knew how to make this better, that's what he was saying. He could make her feel better. Her inner wolf made that decision for her. She needed that scent. She needed to touch - she just wanted to get closer, that was all. That's what she told herself as she got up on all fours, rolling her hips unnecessarily to give him the same image she was suddenly assaulted by - an image of him behind her, in both forms. 

 

She took in a shuddering breath, murmuring "I'm not going to... attack you. I just wanted to - you smell so good... how do you smell that good..." 

 

She stared into his eyes as she crawled across the bed, eyes predatory. She wasn't going to kiss him, really. Just one kiss. Just a few kisses. But no tongue. Maybe a little tongue. Just a taste. But she wouldn't touch him. Her palm pressed flat just below his belly button, then slowly slid upward, as she was looking from his sparsely haired chest to his eyes. She visibly shuddered from the tight warmth of his abdomen, the muscle not visible like on a model, but strong and firm enough to let her know he was far more capable than he seemed. 

 

"How am I not going to be alone? Are you going to help me...?" Was she actually talking like this to a man? Encouraging him to - she bit her bottom lip, and slid her hand back down between her legs, cupping, just applying pressure to give herself some relief. "Do you think I need help...? Can you touch me better?" It was a very blatant, very breathless offer.

 

Her nails dug grooves into his chest before slowly scraping down to his belly button. "You politicians are always all talk..."

 

“ _ Normal  _ politicians are all talk.” Aiden puffed up his chest and glanced at the tent in the sheets. “I’ll have you know I’m far  _ better  _ than normal.” He licked his lips after scanning Rose’s fine form. “And so are you.” 

 

She wanted touch? Fine, he’d give them to her happily while chucking caution and consequences behind him (at least for the moment). Aiden threw back his satin cream duvet and pushed Rose down to the mattress to pin her with his hands on either side of her chest. 

 

“I can touch you a  _ lot  _ better,” he whispered and nipped the shell of her ear while a hand ghosted down her ribs to her hip. “Like nobody else on the planet can. That’s what I was trying to tell you yesterday.” 

 

Rose leaned into his palm and as her eyelids fluttered he wagered she wasn’t even aware. She fucking  _ wanted _ him, and he didn’t suppress the smug, hungry growl this time. He trailed bites and nips down her jaw to her neck and finally to the join of her shoulder where her skin was blemished pink from his fangs, her soft gasps spurring him on. He brought a tender kiss there, shivering at her racing pulse tickling his lips.

 

“That this isn’t just a bite. I could change and bite you right now and it’d mean nothing. But this?” He tasted that most precious sliver of skin and sighed as heat pooled in his abdomen pressed to her leg. “In order to save your life I had to give something in return. Mine. My lifeblood. To a werewolf it’s sacred.” 

 

Aiden paused to let his hand slowly drift between Rose’s thighs. Her chest was pumping madly but she wasn’t stopping him. He freed his other hand to relieve some of the ache between his own legs as he slipped his fingers to her heat and caught her clit between them. She jerked a bit, then her body became more supple underneath him, the soft whimper from his touch building in her. 

 

“Most werewolves go lifetimes without offering their lifeblood to anyone. It’s not done lightly because once you do…” Aiden groaned at how slick Rose was and dipped a finger into her sex. Gods, she was tight. “You’re connected for life. At least I’m connected to you.” He hissed and swore under his breath at her clamping around his finger. “I can feel you.  _ Heal _ you if you get hurt.” 

 

Lifeblood. 

 

He was saying important things right now. Rose struggled to concentrate, she truly did, but his fingers were working magic, and she moaned, eyes rolling back into her head. It was both helping and making it worse. For every thing he did to her she needed more. His fingers inside of her made a curling motion, hitting this part inside of her that made her eyes cross. She cried out, rocking into him. They were connected? Or weren't they? The way he was saying that was so confusing, she'd have to ask him later. He could feel and heal her? She didn't even fully grasp the concept right now, letting his words roll off of her like water off a duck. "Oh I know you  _ feel _ me..." she practically purred the words. 

 

She knew what he was saying was important, but she could put that mouth to better use.  

 

She reached up and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. She took advantage of his mouth being open to talk more and slid her tongue right inside,  fighting his own for purchase. She bit his tongue then suckled on it hard, another shot of lust going through her body as she started to mimic with her tongue against his, the only thing she could think about doing. While exploring his mouth, she reached down and teased his hardened length with her fingernails, ghosting them along his cock. Moaning his name into his mouth from his skilled fingers, she wrapped her hand around his cock tightly and began to stroke him slowly,  keeping her touch still a tease. 

 

She was on fire. She just needed. She was greedy for his touch.  
  
Pulling back for breath,  she whispered "Please, Aiden... I need..." she couldn't even finish that sentence. The look she gave him was pure,  unadulterated lust. She wanted _him_ , just him. "I need you..."

 

Aiden bucked his hips into Rose’s hand in response and swore against her breast as his mouth traveled south from there. Five years and change since he’d had a female in his bed, much, much longer since his blood simmered with want. But pleasure was temporary. Maybe his cock would disagree but he could live without it. Rose’s forgiveness? Not as much. Short of that, at least understanding. He plucked her hand from his cock, apologizing to himself internally. 

 

“Rose, I don’t mind rushing.” He panted, looking up at her from her chest before his lips pressed to her heart. “But I need you to tell me you understand because this is important. I never meant to hurt you, and you don’t have to forgive me. But you do need to understand that the bite I gave you binds me to you.” His chest puffed against her stomach and he bore into her gaze awaiting her answer. 

 

Just the feel of his hard length in her hand was empowering. She was so close, she just needed to… she closed her eyes tightly, trying to keep the images in her mind from consuming her. He’d take her, hard, like an - When he took her hand off him, she gave him a shocked look,  searching for rejection in his gaze. Her insecurity came to the surface for a moment. He was older than her, he'd been married, perhaps he wasn't interested in someone li - she didn't have time to finish that thought before his words came out. Understanding them was important for him to keep touching her. 

 

So she nodded to him, quickly. "I understand, " she murmured, catching his eyes.  "I understand. You gave yourself to me. You saved me." She tried to breathe, but the stopping was so painful. His hands weren't on her anymore. She was damn near in tears over that fact. "I don't want to rush. I want you to - Do you need to?  Was I touching you wrong...? Not... not how you like?" 

“Rose.”

 

If her entire body wasn't pinkened just from the extra warmth of being in heat, she'd worry now about blushing too hard over the question. She was becoming desperate, but trying not to show it. Just the thought of him leaving her like this was too much. 

 

"You stopped touching me... never stop touching me..." She hadn't meant to say that last part out loud, and the growl to it was not all her.

 

“We’re going to talk about you and estrus after this,” Aiden decided, giving in to her. No doubt she was giving her hormones free rein. For the moment he wasn’t complaining. 

 

"No more talking..." she purred at him, arching her back to try to present herself more. 

 

Talking was wasting time, she didn't want to think, she just wanted to do. If she thought, she'd lose this moment, she didn't want to lose it. The instant she felt him line up with her, she had a moment to really face the fact that this was going to happen - excitement, fear, they blended together. She almost wanted to tell him to wait a second, but then he'd stop, and oh, stopping wasn't allowed.

 

Aiden complied and rested Rose’s thighs on his, lining himself up with her entrance before shifting his hips forward. He’d known Rose was tight, but this was  _ too  _ tight, and he faced some resistance upon entering her. The moment he shifted just a bit further forward he got an inkling why. A sharp sting lanced his abdomen and he collapsed on top of Rose, her soft cry of pain breaking his heart. She wasn’t enjoying anything at the moment, he could feel it in her jump in pulse and see it in the wrinkled anguish on her face, finally accompanied by an ear-piercing wince. She was breathing, though.

 

For confirmation, while panting and swearing, Aiden reached between them and swiped his fingers along Rose’s sex. When he pulled back a streak of crimson his face practically boiled with embarrassment. Why the fuck hadn’t she told him? Fuck, he whimpered into her shoulder. He couldn’t move. He wanted to apologize, to… something. There was a right way that this moment should’ve gone.

 

“You, you’re a -  _ what _ ?” he grunted his question out oh so classily, pulling back to look her in the face. There were some tears there, and he gently kissed them away. But to be honest he had so many questions. She was Rose bloody Tyler, she was wealthy, ridiculously gorgeous, and well over the age of majority. 

 

How had she not?

 

“I-I-I’m sorry,” the words came out in a rush. “I just, move, please move, I need you to move, we’ll talk later I swear…”

 

She was babbling, a mixture of embarrassment and lust and pain and need. He seemed to like talking, they could talk as long as they finished what they were doing. Her hormones took back over the instant the pain faded. At her urging, he’d begun gently sliding in and out of her. The feeling was strange, at first, but she became accustomed quickly. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked into his slow thrusts, moaning softly at the changed feel. Yes, this was what she wanted. The breathy sighs she was letting out each time he moved his hips forward were a testament to it helping her. It was what she'd needed. She was enjoying the gentle feeling but she wanted more, and began making a face of frustration after a few minutes - he was still moving so slow, like he was scared of her now. 

 

"More…” the word fell from her lips without her even considering it. She had no right to ask all of this from a man she'd tried to murder yesterday. But her body was tense, it was the worst tease, suddenly - what she wanted, but not. It made her inner wolf... angry. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and looked him in the eyes, shock widening his at her claws digging in. "I'm not made of glass," she growled at him in frustration. "Fuck me like you mean it."

 

Aiden growled in Rose’s ear and grinned against her flushed skin.  _ There _ was his wild girl. He’d so sorely missed her. 

 

“Not fragile eh?” He held her tight and rolled them over. “Then  _ prove it _ ,” he demanded. 

 

He dug his fingers into Rose’s plush arse and brought her to the hilt of his length. She could wait a bloody moment. It’d been years since he’d been with anyone. He could’ve had a fling, but he chose not to. Fuck, he was confident enough he could find himself in bed with England’s finest (like right that moment in fact). But it wasn’t right. Aiden wanted a partner not a good shag. He’d have to sort out the partner bit later. But for a couple breaths he paused to wallow in his prowess, smiling wickedly at Rose as he held her hips down. He’d never had a virgin before, and it wasn’t at all good for his well-nourished ego. 

 

He licked his lips and snarled, “Mine,” before bringing her hands to his chest. His skin craved her touch, her claws, her plump lips. 

 

Rose was squirming for him just waiting for him to move and if he wasn’t so desperate for release himself he’d make her wait longer. Ask and she would receive. Disregarding the flecks of pink and crimson staining his posh toffee sheets, Aiden set about fucking her hard, just as she asked, a vice grip on her arse as he set an unforgivingly quick rhythm. 

She’d let out a choked gasp when he rolled them over, making a face of shock. She wasn't used to the feel of - nevermind. Her mouth had been open as she was held down on his cock by those firm fingers, clutching her behind. The smile on his face was downright evil, and then his voice. Something about him calling her his, she liked it. She’d clenched her inner muscles on him in response, pressing her hands against his chest as he silently bid her. As soon as he’d started thrusting into her she’d gasped, eyes widening and fingernails digging into his pectorals as she let out a cry of pleasure. 

 

"Oh my god," she panted, her body thrumming with more excitement than discomfort. 

 

She began trying to rock her hips against his thrusts, at first having trouble matching that rhythm, but all of her Torchwood training kicked in. She was always doing extreme exercise, she could handle this. She rolled her hips more against his hand's strong grip, before she reached back and yanked both of them off her behind to replace them on her breasts. She held them there, her palms on the back of his hands, her own trembling, and she caught his eyes. Her pupils were blown, and she was enjoying the sight of his looking almost pitch black, himself. 

 

She released his hands and then scratched at his chest as she scrambled for purchase, finally gripping his shoulders and using his body to help her. Just as Aiden anticipated, Rose took the reins and control of her own orgasm. He yearned just as much to see her let loose as he did to fuck her. He got  _ both _ , all the while her slick velvety muscles clenched him tightly. She was tentative at first, but the quicker her heart pounded and the faster her clit throbbed against his cock the braver she became, and he fucking loved it. 

 

After a few more thrusts she matched his pace, giving him a look of challenge. She began to curse under her breath, letting out a cry of pleasure between them. She had never used anything but her fingers, she hadn't realized it could feel like this. She felt more full than she ever had in her life, and the inner spasms were making the fit almost unbearably tighter to match that knot in her abdomen. Her cries grew louder, and she covered her mouth to keep the sounds in, a reflex from years of doing it to herself. He reached up, trying to grab her hand. He wanted to  _ hear _ how much she enjoyed him inside of her.

 

She was slowing down as she moved, making part of her want to fight harder, not liking losing a challenge, but her body was against her. He yielded to her every move, matching her when she wanted. Cupping her pert breasts and teasing the buds erect against his palms, she stole his gaze with this wild look in her eyes before stealing his breath with her nails raking down his chest. He hit a spot deep within her when she adjusted her movement, and finally she couldn't move anymore. She reached down, desperately, fingering her clit as his sharp thrusts sent her home. It only took a few moments for it to pay off. Her eyes shut tight and and her back arched as she hit orgasm, a much stronger one than she'd had in recent memory.

 

He lost himself in her, jamming his eyes shut as she clamped down on him like a vice. Aiden barely had a few breaths to register his sweet release and coming undone within her before she collapsed on top of him. She sobbed his name, then kissed him again, a bit sloppily; but she was still twitching from her orgasm and able to be forgiven for a lack of finesse. Sliding her tongue into his mouth gently, she moaned at each gentle jerk she made. She felt incredible.

 

Aiden snaked his arms around Rose and held her through the waves of her climax. She wasn’t going any damn where. 

 

He kissed her hard in return, pleased that for the time being she agreed with the sentiment. He was quickly melting into the mattress and determined to take Rose with him, bringing her down softly as he peppered a trail of kisses down to her bite mark. It had all begun with the nearly innocuous pink scar on her shoulder. It was both a badge of honor (to him at least) and a cruel reminder of how Rose wound up in his arms. With that, he couldn’t shake the acute feeling that he didn’t deserve her, much less what had just transpired. Her estrus and willingness weren’t free passes. 

 

Questions and responsibilities arose with the sun. They were no longer shielded by the moon’s embrace. Gentle rays filtered in through his castle window and brought Rose’s radiance to life. He’d definitely been looking earlier. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. The way her glistening honey gold eyes captured the sun only deepened his resolve to make it all right for her. He’d made a start, but as a chill wafted between their disentangling limbs, foreboding nipped him along with it. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  After Aiden and Rose narrowly escape Torchwood, the Hoynes' nanny Craig, the Hoynes children, Aiden's beta Charlie, and their friend Nigel spend the night reflecting on how they got here and what the future might hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next one are more or less interludes. pipertennant/lunaseemoony wrote this one, and the next one will be written by naturalblues. 
> 
> Craig, Charlie and Nigel are original characters. Although they have minor roles in AMP they'll become major characters starting at the second story arc (post chapter 5). Lady Lyanna Hoynes was very loosely inspired by Game of Thrones' Lyanna Mormont.  
>    
>  **Chapter warnings:** brief mentions of injuries, brief mentions of blood, brief mentions of violence, and discussions of Joseph Hoynes' death. Nothing graphic.

At twenty-seven Craig McFee was employed in the noblest of careers. He was a nanny. And yes he was proud of it. Why bloody not? He’d have anyone know that looking after the Hoynes was far from a boring job on any given day of the week. Craig felt that sentiment more this autumn than he had in years. The sun had set on what wound up being a particularly tempestuous day. The one Hoynes who needed the most looking after was presently in his master suite cuddled up to the eye of yesterday’s storm. The Vitex heiress was on the Hoynes estate. Craig gulped the last of his tea. Another Hoynes was with Craig in the library staring down a ladder into submission, having been unable to sleep. In a quiet hour nestled between nightfall and sunrise the littlest Hoynes sleepily shuffled into the library with her eyes half closed and her princess pyjamas half twisted around her waist, a pout fixed to her pillow-wrinkled face.

 

“Can’t sleep,” she whined, rubbing her eyes.  

 

Craig hadn’t told the wee bairn he’d be in the library. Ruby would likely never turn but her wolf instincts were sharper than a tack and she could always find her pack without much effort. Sleeping beneath the blanket of calm that befell the estate proved to be nearly impossible for everyone but the heiress and the alpha. So that plan was ditched. Craig only knew a couple wolf packs well enough, but they had a propensity for gathering during tense situations. Noah had been just as restless as Ruby appeared to be, and the library was a calming place for him. All the noise of the real world could never intrude on his book ones. So there he stood at the ladder, waiting for someone to rescue him from it and grab a book on a high shelf for him.

 

“Come here pup,” Craig offered to Ruby, patting the open seat on the couch next to him.

 

“You sure we shouldn’t grab that book for him?”

 

Craig shook his head. “He knows how to -”

 

“Nigel!” Ruby squealed, ignoring Craig in favor of his boyfriend next to him.

 

Nigel spread his arms and beamed as Ruby barreled into them, landing in a heap on the couch. They both laughed and hugged before Nigel sat her on his lap, fingers setting to work on the pup’s tangled tresses. Everyone had been busy so she hadn’t seen him in a while.

 

“When did you come?” Ruby asked excitedly.

 

Never mind that it was gone past three in the morning and she likely hadn’t slept more than an hour or two. Her father found Nigel’s font of energy particularly exhausting but Ruby had been smitten with him since Craig started dating him a year ago. Nigel was as stocky and tall as a tree, with striking blue eyes, a deep smokey voice, and chestnut hair. As a wolf he was very much the same. Solid. Nigel was his rock, and for that he was eternally grateful for having met him through Aiden. Nigel owned a construction and interior decorating company and had done work on the Hoynes estate. Craig was quick to give him a ring once the night had calmed down. He hadn’t needed to ask Nigel to make the hour drive. Nigel just knew he was needed. And finding out who they’d gone to the trouble for hadn’t hurt. He was a fan of the heiress. That made one of them at least.

 

Nigel answered to Ruby’s beam with a poke of her button nose. “Got here while you were sleeping.”

 

“Are you going to leave without saying hi again like last time?” Ruby whined.

 

“Well I’m here aren’t I? Saying hi?”

 

“Does daddy know you’re here?”

 

“Not just yet but I think after the busy day you lot had I imagine he wouldn’t mind some extra paws about,” Nigel appealed with a wink. “Also I reaaaaally would love to meet that lady wolf your daddy brought home. Bet you ten quid that’s why your cousin’s here.”

 

Ruby didn’t need to be told which cousin. She slid out of Nigel’s lap and peered over the back of the couch. “Charlie!”

 

A slim tawny wolf perked up from the floor next to Noah and put on an excited show for his little cousin, wagging his whole behind and peeling his ears before being thrown to the floor in the wee lass’s bear hug. Charlie’s trademark vacant grin bloomed on his face, his tail drumming the creaky wooden floor. As a twenty-two-year-old werewolf he didn’t look a day older than fifteen. He was thin as a rail with stormy blue-green eyes and toasted blonde hair like Aiden’s. Charlie’s face was mouselike with wide ears. He was rarely seen without his headphones draped on his neck, an oversized hoodie, and denim jeans that barely fit around his skinny waist.

 

Fresh out of university, Charlie wasn’t yet keen on doing anything with his life that got in the way of his partying, drinking, and chasing tail. He’d skulked home that night smelling of all the above and was completely unaware of Aiden’s run in with Torchwood. Charlie closely resembled his cousin Aiden, and was loyal to a fault. Craig suspected this was why Aiden named Charlie the pack beta despite being so impulsive and frankly dense at times; because the way Craig saw it, Charlie’s older relatives were much more suited to the role. He could barely hold his own in emergencies. But Aiden saw the best in people so perhaps Charlie had better qualities Craig wasn’t aware of. As Aiden, Craig, and the pups had been living in London, Charlie had been looking after the Hoynes estate main building. Essentially he’d been living in it.

 

Craig didn’t spend much time at the Hoynes estate. But he knew well enough about it all the same, mostly from Nigel (who never appreciated being called an architecture nerd). He suspected if the public knew of the place it’d be a tourist destination. The estate land itself dated back to the pack’s origins, and its half a dozen houses were its newest pieces at four hundred years old. The main building, often referred to as the manor, was built around the 13th century. Constant upkeep through the generations kept it standing. The McFee estate in Glasgow, Craig’s home, was about the same age. At some point in medieval times pack wolves collectively worked out that castles made good fortresses against hunters and mutts. Not all werewolves were well off. But living on average 150 years, sharing wealth, and being overall ruthless certainly didn’t hurt a pack’s finances. From what Craig knew, the Hoynes managed and invested their money quite well.

 

It showed in their manor. The halls and some of the smaller rooms still had the original stone floors, speckled with replacement stones and marks of renovation work through the years. Over half the rooms were still encased in stone walls, so the building was pleasantly cool in the summer but dreadfully cold in the winter. Nigel mentioned advising Aiden to let his crew install central heating but Aiden would hear none of it. All the building’s tudor windows didn’t help its insulation one bit. There were little halos of stone on the exterior walls of each room where the ancient castle’s original windows were replaced with the tudor ones. Most of those miraculously held. The manor was peppered with a few dozen rooms, and most of the bedrooms were on the second floor. The master suite was on the first floor down the hall and around the corner from the kitchen.

 

Charlie came home to a surprise early in the morning after a night of clubbing, sobered up a little, and naturally took to looking after Noah without being asked. Craig was grateful for the few moments of respite before Ruby had strolled in. After greeting Ruby, Charlie took pity on Noah and leapt at the ceiling high bookcase, kicking it with his hind legs. It sent a mountain of books to the floor, among them the one Noah had been after. Without a word, Noah plucked the book from the pile and sat down in an armchair nearby that dwarfed the lad.

 

“I expect ye both to clean up that mess, ye menace,” Craig groused at Charlie, who replied with a high-pitched bark and a smug wag of his sleek tail. Scrawny English idiot. Nigel caught Craig’s hand and smoothed it over. His chest sank and his breaths evened out.

 

Ruby hopped over to the chair and rested on Charlie. He was on the smaller side for a wolf, just big enough to wrap himself about the five-year-old pup. She stared straight up at the spine of the book Noah opened up and gasped excitedly. “Is that Lyanna’s book?” Of all the books chronicling the Hoynes clan history, that one was her favorite. She had anyone who was willing read it to her over and over. She never grew tired of it even though she scarcely understood the language it was written in.

 

“If that’s the one I’m thinking of, your alpha will tan your hide for knocking it about Charlie. Must be ancient,” Nigel chided Charlie gently. The tawny wolf was circling a faded rug in front of the armchair Noah sat down in before lying down with a canine groan of contentment.

 

“It is. And he will.”

 

Charlie chuffed at both of them and stuck his tongue out like a pup. Stupid git.

 

“Reckon I know why ye grabbed that one Noah,” Craig said softly.

 

Noah’s eyes remained planted to the dusty pages in his lap, his little face wrinkling in contemplation. Not at anything Craig was saying by the looks of it, but rather what was on the pages. The room fell peacefully silent, the only noise coming from the crackling fire and the frantic swishing of pages turning in Lyanna’s book. When Noah closed it, he handed it to his whining sister clamoring for it claiming it was her turn. Not that she could read it. Neither could Noah really. It was written in old, old, old English. Craig reckoned the turning of pages and studying the book was to jog his memory of its contents.

 

Noah stood up and side stepped around Charlie and Ruby to sit in a chair closer to the couch Nigel and Craig occupied. “She’s staying. She’s got to.”

 

“Who, honey?” Nigel asked.

 

“Rose.”

 

Nigel clutched Craig’s hand tighter. “Oh Noah,” Craig sighed. Charlie’s head poked up and his eyes softened at Craig’s. He canted his head at Craig, silently asking if he needed Charlie to change and help. Craig shook his head and waved a hand, nodding at wee Ruby curled up on the wolf’s stomach. Craig braced himself. “Why has she got to stay?”

 

“She’s a female wolf like Lyanna. Lyanna made the pack strong. Rose can stay and be alpha and make us strong.”

 

“So daddy won’t worry as much,” Ruby piped up.

 

Craig’s heart ached, and was thankful for their father not hearing all this.

 

He’d painted a dim picture of the heiress in his mind. Aiden had spent the past few moons obsessed with her, shifting from pure hatred to utter disdain to fascination. It was the pact talking, Craig figured. It didn’t mean the heiress was worthy. Aiden obviously hadn’t any other choice but to bring her home, but it didn’t mean she could be trusted. Though Craig for the life of him couldn’t work out why, Noah had taken to her like a duck to water. The pup’s obvious approval of her was her only saving grace, as far as he was concerned.

 

“Who’s this Lyanna then?” Nigel diverted. Craig forgot he was good with the pups, particularly for somebody who claimed he didn’t like ‘small people.’ Watching him interacting with Ruby and Noah had Craig’s face simmering and he squirmed in his seat. “What’s in that thick book there? Why’s she so important?”

 

“Lady Lyanna Hoynes started the Hoynes bloodline. Over a thousand years ago,” Craig recited with a gentle smile. By virtue of the pups Craig knew it all by heart.

 

Fewer things in the world unrelated to anxiety produced much in the way of emotion from Noah Hoynes. Mentioning Lyanna always did the trick. His reactions were subtle; tugs at his thin lips, a slight shift in posture to puff up his chest a little. But all the same, just as Noah held a great deal of pride for his ancestor, Craig was proud of the pup for feeling safe enough to share these emotions with them, subtle though they might be. This time was no exception, which was impressive considering his mind was still fixed to the lass downstairs. Craig couldn’t allow Noah to become attached. The image of a little boy barely out of nappies clutching his blankie camped out by the Hoynes’ front door waiting for his mummy to come home night after night for months on end after being abandoned was still vivid in Craig’s memory.

 

Ruby rolled over on Charlie’s stomach and beamed puppy eyes at Craig. “Read it read it read it! Pleeeeeease Craig?”

 

In that moment Noah’s attention had shifted from Rose to this book, making the choice simple. “Oh fine. Lemme grab another pot of tea and Charlie ye can feed the fire there. Stop chuffin’ at me like that ye’re perfectly capable in yer current state.”

 

Nigel patted Craig’s thigh and pecked his forehead. “You got the last pot and it was a busy day. I’ll fetch this one, sugarpaws. Oughta know my way about the manor by now.” Craig sank down and smiled, face simmering. “Love making you blush.”

 

Ruby giggled as Nigel sauntered out of the room. Charlie made a show of grunting and dragging himself to the fireplace to grab the poker with his teeth. When the fire barely cracked and popped he grumbled and fetched more logs for it, gingerly tossing them in. Craig and the pups arranged a nest of blankets and cushions in front of the fire. Noah of course built a little corner of it for himself so he wouldn’t have to touch anyone, and immediately curled up in it clutching Lyanna’s book to his chest. Ruby snuggled back up with her cousin while Craig assisted Nigel in passing out the contents of the tray he’d brought up. Tea for himself and Nigel, a bowl of crisp cold water for Charlie, and cocoa for the pups.

 

“Story, you promised!” Ruby yipped once everyone was settled.

 

“Aye, aye. Mind yer cocoa. Yer cousin Charlie willnae be so thankful if ye spill it on his pelt, Ruby.”

 

Craig took a tiny sip of his tea and promptly scowled at Nigel for spiking it a little, despite knowing he’d sorely needed it. Whenever he summarized Lyanna’s story he always told it in his own way, as if reading from a children’s book. As the pups got older he added in more details from the book, parts of the story that might’ve frightened them at a younger age. Ruby was barely five but Aiden was the sort of parent that didn’t hide anything from his children if he could frame it carefully. He’d instilled this philosophy in Craig. Five years into this job he was still learning but embraced every opportunity to practice.

 

“A long time ago -

 

“The dates!” Noah barked, spilling a chocolate mustache onto his face.

 

“It’s good that ye know those details, pup. But let’s try without ‘em this time, aye?” Noah sighed and nodded. “A long time ago a young farm girl met a wanderin’ rogue and convinced her parents he was a weary traveler so they put him for a little while in exchange for work in their fields. She fell in love with the rogue. Before she could find out if he returned her affections the rogue absconded with all the coin they owned. Her parents reckoned they could recover from this, as devastated as they were. But when their daughter fell pregnant they dinnae feel as forgiving.”

 

“Craig get to the good parts,” Ruby demanded. “I hate this part.”

 

Craig reached over and combed his fingers through Ruby’s coffee brown hair, taking solace in knowing the pup’s father would slaughter anyone who’d harm her in the way Lyanna’s mother had been. Craig didn’t much like hurting anyone but he’d do the same in an instant for the pups as though they were his own. Ruby and Noah had nestled deep into Craig’s heart in a way his own pack scarcely ever had.

 

“I know but Nigel hasnae heard the tale. I’ll get to it in a moment. Patience.”

 

Craig took a couple more swigs of tea, sipping the gentle crackling and whispers of the fire with it. He took a moment to appreciate that wolves of three different packs had gathered up to relay the tale of one’s origins. Not an uncommon occurrence in the old days. But in modern times it was rare and often fleeting. Nigel was the only remaining member of his pack. Who would tell the story of his ancestors the Cartwrights when he was gone?

 

“The young lass was forced out on her own but she was tough, makin’ her way the best she could. A bit later a wee bairn was born. Squallin’ and already set to take over the English countryside.” A wide grin bloomed on Ruby’s face into her mug and a warmth settled in Craig’s chest. “Even as a baby she was fierce. And she needed to be, only havin’ herself to rely on. Especially one year. Lyanna lost her mum on a cold winter night trying to bring her baby sibling into the world. She was on her own. According to Aiden, the way the story’s always been told, grief and heartache brought out the inner wolf in Lyanna.”

 

Nigel’s lips quivered and his eyes fell to Ruby safely cocooned by her older cousin. A portrait of her ancestor sat above the fireplace. The resemblance they shared was uncanny. Both Lyanna and Ruby had alabaster skin, big brown eyes, and soft chocolate hair. Their differences were just as striking as well as heartbreaking. Lyanna’s expression was cold and hardened compared to Ruby’s pure bright smiles. A child should never have to see so much of the world’s darkness. Nigel set down his cup of tea and clutched Craig’s hand tightly. “Facing that all by herself…”

 

Craig squeezed back and briefly leaned on Nigel. “Aye. Wasnae easy bein’ a newly turned wolf at any age even back then, especially since there were so many more wolves runnin’ about. It was even tougher for a lass. That book ye got there Noah weaves many a tale about how she managed and some of ‘em seem like a stretch to me - ”

 

“They’re all true!” Noah exclaimed, cocoa sloshing about in his mug from his shaky hands.

 

“All right fine. Anyway. At some point our tough young wolf learned the ancient pack law about alphas. Ye take down an alpha, ye become the new one. Simple as that. We still live by those rules. Young Lyanna wasnae just tough but clever to boot. She wanted a roof over her head and a safe place from humans to be herself. To be a wolf. She quickly learned packs had that. All by her lonesome how was Lyanna to get it? There was no other way than to take it.”

 

“You’re not serious.”

 

Charlie growled at Nigel and nudged Craig’s leg.

 

“It’s true. Well. I can scarcely imagine how the Hoynes came about if she’d failed. Miraculous as that may sound, it still took her years to accomplish. Most packs back then were started by groups of mutts banding together - yes I know she wasnae a mutt but the fact is she started out as one. And there’s nothin’ wrong with that. She wasnae perfect just like all of us. Lyanna trusted the wrong wolves, and gave up on humans early on. She got into battles and lost plenty of times. Yer pack lives on because she learned from those mistakes. It made her stronger. She had no other choice but to be strong. Lyanna won the battles that mattered the most and garnered a reputation for her tenacity.

 

“Ye know ye cannae just waltz up to an alpha and challenge them. Ye’ve got to be a worthy opponent, even today. A pack leader’s reputation is also on the line when they defend their pack and their honor. The book says Lyanna was around Aiden’s - age when she challenged a pack alpha not far from here. She didnae want the pack as much as she did the title of alpha, and their fertile forests which were a safe distance from the nearest human settlement. She very nearly lost but she won, and her packmates helped her chase off the losing alpha’s clan from their acquired territory. She knew she could never gain their respect so they were useless to her anyway.

 

“After Lyanna became alpha she also became a target herself. She was approached by suitors left and right but her mother raised her to be wary of males and their intentions. The book was supposedly written by one of Lyanna’s daughters, and it tells of her struggles with knowing she needed to grow her pack and her aversion to sharing her title with a male. She’d worked too hard for too long to give it up. The stories are vague about how she accomplished it but Lyanna managed to successfully continue her bloodline. In the end she had six children and turned at least a couple dozen wolves, living to the ripe old age of - ”

 

“They’re asleep,” Nigel whispered.

 

Craig sighed a chuckle. “Hot cocoa works every time. Should’ve given them some with bed. Hindsight is 20/20.”

 

“Maybe they won’t get up as early in the morning?”

 

Craig hoped Nigel was right. Previous occasions like this suggested otherwise, however. From his understanding they only narrowly escaped danger, and it could still be at their heels at that very moment. Although the pups were finally asleep when they awoke they’d still be wondering the same thing Craig was, what’s the next move? Fortunately they didn’t have to face the reality that Craig did when Aiden and the heiress made it to the flat; that their father had been shot at. Having been hunted just once before, Craig would never forget the familiar scent of charcoal and metal clinging to Aiden and the heiress. So in those few quiet moments nestled between twilight and sunrise, once again Craig was unable to escape wondering what the future held for them.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

_Craig prided himself on being Aiden’s close confidant. When Aiden told him of his plans for taking down Rose Tyler that early autumn evening he was filled with optimism. Aiden Hoynes was bloody clever, there was no way he could ever fail. Craig felt the contrary when the man he considered his alpha limped back into the London flat with a bloody leg half torn open. It was rare when Aiden dared expose his delicate side but he didn’t have barely any energy to walk, let alone to compose himself. He yelped and collapsed in the entryway. Craig wrapped him up in a couple towels and carried him to the bathroom._

 

_Any proper wolf worth his salt knew really basic first aid, as A &E was never an option for them. Having grown up in a big pack of foolhardy wolves, Craig was no exception. Scuffles between wolves were commonplace. But Aiden’s wound made even Craig’s stomach turn, and its teeth marks were unmistakably canine. His first thought while tending to the unconscious wolf’s wound was Aiden had run into mutts in the park. But Aiden could easily take a mutt without serious injury most of the time. And there wasn’t a trace of another wolf’s scent on him as there should’ve been if he’d gotten in a fight. Craig built up a wall thought by thought wondering about this, just to keep his mind busy enough to stave off changing, because previous dealings with injuries did little to slow down the panic when the acrid scent of Aiden’s blood overtook his senses. _

 

_The first hint that something had gone dreadfully wrong came when Aiden didn’t change back to his human form after Craig bandaged him up. Changing forms was already painful enough; shifting limbs, joints, muscles, and skin was made that much more difficult with an injury. Craig was gored in the belly by a buck’s antlers during a hunt shortly after he first turned, and changing afterward was more excruciating than any other change he’d endured previously. Aiden’s body didn’t automatically take over, instead ghosting between the lines of consciousness._

 

_Craig wrapped him up in a blanket and carried him to his bed and started to leave him be to rest when he heard the crying. Little puffs of his jowls, chest heaving, and his coffee eyes glassy and welling up. They spilled over when Craig sat next to him, his hand hovering over the bundle of fur, bandages and blanket. His hand hesitated, jumping back to his chest. It was taboo to pet a wolf one wasn’t really close to. Noah and Ruby did all the time, but they were his pups. A pitiful whimper quickly changed his tune, however. He peeled back enough of the blanket to pat Aiden on his shoulder. When Aiden reflexively leaned in, Craig gripped it, cupping his hand into a mouth shape to ‘groom’ him. On previous occasions this had been Charlie’s job. That night, the task of bringing Aiden back from this fell to Craig._

 

_“I can get ye some scotch and ye can tell me about it, but ye’ve got to change first,” Craig reasoned as he continued massaging Aiden’s shoulders and down his spine. Aiden shuddered and recoiled. “Or ye can bottle it up if ye like, risk the pups seeing their alpha broken up by something.”_

 

_Aiden chuffed and began kicking at Craig’s hip with his good leg. Hint taken, Craig filed out of the room and went downstairs to leave Aiden to change alone. He went straight to the liquor cabinet to set the bottle of the good scotch and a pair of glasses on a tray to take upstairs. Just for good measure he also warmed up leftovers from the dinner he’d made the pups that night. Aiden would fuss and complain before eating it, every bit the skinny hypocrite that was always lecturing everyone else about a wolf’s metabolism. Werewolves healed a bit quicker than humans - but only if they took care of themselves. If Aiden was making any sounds while changing they were muffled. Craig had no doubt it was incredibly painful but they both wanted to avoid waking Noah and Ruby. They’d see their father’s injured leg and panic. Aiden hadn’t bothered to get dressed, opting to wrap himself back up in the woven blanket instead. Craig poured him some scotch and watched Aiden gulp it all in one go. He slowly nursed his second glass, resting it on his blanketed knees as he stared off at the wall._

 

_Craig pulled Aiden’s armchair over to sit in, feet resting on the bed as he cupped his glass in both hands. “Something happened,” Craig prompted. He took a sip of his scotch, it coated his throat in fire and he welcomed it._

 

_“That’s putting it lightly.”_

 

_“The wound’ll heal right quick. Ye’ll see. No worries.”_

 

_Aiden shook his head and peeled back the blanket. His face paled in a grimace and he scrambled to wrap it back up. “I doubt that in this case. Not this wound.” Craig just narrowed his eyes at Aiden and took another sip of scotch. “Craig, I did something unforgivably bad.”_

 

_“Whatever it is, Alph- sir, we can recover, aye?”_

 

_We. Craig always spoke as though he was part of the Hoynes pack, and Aiden never once corrected him or admonished him for it as any other alpha would’ve. Aiden started crying again, hiccuping and spilling a bit of his drink on his knees._

 

_“Not this time. There’s no recovering from this. It’s the one thing a wolf can do that’s… permanent.”_

 

_“So ye killed her? The heiress? Death is pretty permanent, last I checked. Mission accomplished then? It’s a good thing, sir.”_

 

_Aiden’s knuckles went white as he squeezed the life out of his scotch glass. He downed the rest of it and slammed the glass on his bedside table. “I couldn’t go through with it.” His head sank and he spoke into his legs. “I held her life right there, it was delicious. Fuck, I could hear her heart scrambling even, Craig. It was glorious. Just what I’d been waiting for.” Craig’s stomach flipped before Aiden even continued. “I couldn’t do it. You’d only been working for me for a little while when my father… passed. But he was an alpha who didn’t believe in killing if it could be avoided. I just. I could see his face like he was there watching over me… and I panicked. I couldn’t… couldn’t disappoint him like that.”_

 

_Craig canted his head. “So he’d be proud of ye then.”_

 

_Aiden bursted into a sob at those words. “You’re wrong! He’d be… he’d be so ashamed!”_

 

_“Whatever happened, ye’re alive. Pups are alive. Everybody’s safe. That’s what’s important.”_

 

_“Yeah but the cost…”_

 

_Craig tucked in his legs and sucked in a deep breath._

 

_“I bit her. Like, bit her. To keep her from dying.”_

 

_A cold shiver shot down Craig’s spine. “Where?”_

 

_The silence could’ve been sliced with a knife it was so thick. Aiden just looked Craig square in the eyes. Craig put it together quickly, particularly considering his faculties were already drained by the scotch and adrenaline. “So that wound on your leg is… hers?” Aiden sobbed and wrung his face in his hands. “What does this mean?”_

 

_“I’ve chained myself to a bloody werewolf hunter, is what it fucking means!”_

 

_Craig cleared his throat. Aiden nodded. They didn’t want to wake Ruby and Noah. Aiden opened his mouth to speak but before he did he went ashen and darted out of the room clutching a sheet to his waist. He slunk back to his bed several minutes later with a grimace on his clammy face. Craig tucked him in, bile rising in his own throat at the scent of sick mixed with blood still hovering in the air._

 

_“Ye’re not goin’ in today are ye?” Craig prompted once Aiden had collected himself._

 

_Aiden rose up a bit in bed. “I have to. There’s too - ”_

 

_“Forgive me, but… Babbish, he’ll smell her on ye. He’ll work it out. Not to mention yer leg, sir.” Looking back, Craig realized he’d rattled it off so fast, chest puffing up like a sail in the wind. “The royals will be… they’ll be so angry.”_

 

_It was no coincidence that Aiden’s colleague Richard Babbish was also the prince of werewolves in England. (The English claimed of Scotland and Northern Ireland as well but Scottish and Irish wolves didn’t follow English wolves. Never had, never would.) Craig and his pack felt the Babbishes and their chokehold on the kingdom were responsible for its rapidly dwindling population. Their stupid bloody laws got stricter and stricter the longer they reigned, slaughtering decent wolves over minor infractions. They were corrupt, using their sway to benefit the higher ranking and wealthier packs while letting everyone else die off. Aiden confided in Craig once that the only reason he befriended Babbish years ago was to get close enough to him to take him down. They both knew Babbish wasn’t a fool. He’d take any excuse to pay Aiden the same courtesy, which made Aiden’s predicament that much trickier._

 

_“Taking a couple days off will only make him suspicious. I’m in deep shit either way. If it was you who’d bitten her they wouldn’t care but I’m a threat. Babbish will find out one way or another.” Aiden slid off the bed and hobbled a couple steps, growled with his fists clenched, and plopped back down. He drummed the mattress instead._

 

_“Ye’re not invincible. Sir. Please. Ye’re hurt, humor me?”_

 

_Even though the feeling wasn’t reciprocated, Craig saw Aiden as a close friend. If he was talking to one of his idiot brothers or cousins he wouldn’t have given two shits about their injuries. If it weren’t for Craig there’d be nobody to stop Aiden from running himself into the ground in his quests to change the world._

 

_Aiden sighed. “Fine. One day. But only if you take the day off. I won’t have you glaring at me for pushing myself.”_

 

_“Lemme take the pups to school at least.”_

 

_“Fine fine whatever.”_

 

_Craig was halfway out the door to help the wee ones with their breakfast when Aiden sobbed, fresh tears slowly filling his empty scotch glass. “Sir?”_

 

_“Hunters took him away from me.”_

 

_It took Craig a moment. “Joseph.”_

 

_Aiden choked and sobbed as he toppled over onto the bed. “Her life and mine are hopelessly stuck together forever. A hunter! It was people like her who stole him from me. From my pack.”_

 

_Craig grimaced and rolled his tense shoulders before sitting back down in the chair in front of the bed, tucking his feet in and resting his head on his shoulders. He was rubbish at this, comforting people. Especially Aiden. “I reckon ye can avoid her as much as ye like, maybe? As long as ye stay close by?”_

 

_“I’ve already been careless enough as it is. That’d be taking a huge risk.” Aiden buried his face in his pillow for a minute, gulping down a breath when he resurfaced. “He’d be so disappointed in me! His face… I could never… he’d hate me.”_

 

_“Would ye hate Noah if he’d done this?” Aiden shut his eyes and clutched his covers tight between his thin fingers. No force on Earth seemed more powerful than Aiden’s love for his children. “What would yer dad do?”_

 

_“Make the best of this.”_

 

_Aiden then hopped off the bed and began pacing his room. And for anyone else it might not seem that significant. But the sight brought much needed relief and warmth sinking into Craig’s chest. Aiden was doing what he did best: plotting._

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

_Every time something happened in the Hoynes pack Craig only caught the aftermath of it. It’d become his lot in life to miss all the action. He only missed it because he sorely wished he could’ve helped. He never felt this more than on the day Lord Joseph Hoynes passed. It’d been his night off, as Aiden was home early that day and Charlie was off from uni for the week. All Craig had known after speeding back to their flat was something catastrophic happened. He’d been filled in on the details weeks later over a bottle of wine in the wee hours of the morning. Seemed to be a habit for this pack._

 

_Aiden’s father was alpha at the time and had instituted lockdown, as werewolf hunters had targeted England’s high ranking packs. They were all to check in with Joseph every ten hours. Joseph himself missed check in and Aiden panicked, assuming the worst. When he finally made it home nearly a day later Aiden tore into him before giving him a chance to explain. This was Aiden’s biggest regret, he’d confessed to Craig in chokes and sobs. Those had more or less been Aiden’s last words to his father. The hunters had followed Joseph home - Aiden would never find out from where. He told Craig there hadn’t been any time to change, and believed him when he said it had all happened too fast. Two hunters broke through their garden door and shot Joseph on the spot. One immediately headed upstairs while Aiden wrestled with the other. Quick changing was a rare skill among werewolves, and for most it was twice as painful as a normal one. But in a pinch it could be done. Luckily Charlie was one, and luckily he’d been upstairs sleeping at the time. Aiden told Craig that Charlie heard the shot, changed, and instinctively ran into the hall to keep the hunter from getting to the pups’ rooms. The hunter who shot Joseph wound up running away. Every now and again Aiden mentioned this with a fire in his eyes and a growl in his throat. He’d helped Charlie take down the hunter upstairs, which was fortunate because he admitted to Craig he felt Charlie wouldn’t have made it otherwise._

 

_When Craig arrived at the flat Aiden was on the floor in the kitchen with his eyes blown wide staring at Joseph. Were it not for the spilt blood he would’ve looked like he’d fallen asleep on the table. Death invaded Craig’s nose and knocked him back against the wall at first. Aiden had texted him for help but he hadn’t the slightest idea what to do. He picked up Aiden’s mobile and texted the only other relative Craig was familiar with, Aiden’s uncle, who sent Aiden’s cousins to help. In the meantime Craig made piss poor attempts at first aid on Charlie. It was enough to keep him alive until a trusted paramedic friend of the family’s arrived in the morning. Aiden’s cousins dealt with the bodies and the legal matters while Craig tended to Aiden, Charlie, Noah, and Ruby._

 

_Aiden spent much of the night clutching Noah and Ruby for dear life, one under each arm as he leaned up against the bed frame in his room. In rare form Noah didn’t complain about the close contact. He just lay there limp in his father’s arms staring off at the wall while Ruby cried. This had been the first time Craig met Charlie and he was keeping him company on a pile of blankets next to Aiden. Charlie wanted to be close to Aiden, panicking and howling if he was out of sight. The night had been understandably chaotic but just before sunrise the storm clouds cleared enough for the Hoynes to look one another in the eyes. Craig couldn’t be certain when they accepted that their alpha was gone but something in their expressions told him they realized their lives were about to change._

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Craig resurfaced from his contemplations with his head in Nigel’s lap, strong fingers combing through his hair. “Well there you are. Thought you’d fallen asleep like that hungover ferret over there.” Nigel nodded at Charlie before turning his attention to Craig. “Talk to me.”

 

Craig sighed and rolled over, taking in Nigel’s earthy cologne mixed with fabric softener and fresh paint from work. The cologne was new, entirely unlike his usual sweet or spicy fragrances. A shiver shot down his spine and settled low in his stomach. He wasn’t one to make assumptions but he indulged himself in the idea that Nigel had put the cologne on for him. It grounded him. Craig reveled in his heart’s deep and steady drumming against his chest, taking deep breaths. The scotch had worked its magic but he was still wide awake and too anxious to join the others in sleeping.

 

“Just thinkin’ about other nights like this. Wonderin’ what’s next. Wonderin’ if she’s stayin’. Wonderin’ what he plans on doin’ about all this. Wonderin’ when Torchwood will make their next move.”

 

“Shh,” Nigel soothed. “You might be laying still but you’re working at a mile a minute honey. You and grumpybear downstairs got more in common than you think. You both act like you’ve got to carry the world on your shoulders but you’re both terrified of tackling it alone. I got no clue about the rest of the day but right now everything’s fine baby. They’re sleeping peacefully. Your alpha (whether you wanna admit he is or not, official or not, whatever I don’t give a fuck that’s what he is to you admit it), has Rose Fucking Tyler in his bed. And if I was a straight man in his shoes I wouldn’t be going any fucking where in the foreseeable future. You and me are going out for a run in those woods and if you need a good excuse let’s say we’re checking them for hunters. I’m gonna hunt you some breakfast and you’re gonna run your cute little butt off because you need it, whether you wanna admit it or not.”

 

“But - ”

 

Nigel pressed his finger to Craig’s lips. “Mm mm. Not hearing your whinging. Up you get, let’s go. Time to run off your anxiety, sugarpaws.” Craig groaned and sat up. He was just getting comfortable, and royally loathed when Nigel was right. Nigel was normally a clown and Craig groused about it but he also didn’t know how to deal with Nigel getting serious and mother henning.

 

“Don’t ye have to be on the build site later?”

 

Nigel waved his mobile and grinned wickedly, mock coughing. “Sick.” He licked his teeth and kissed Craig. “Besides. You’ve been nagging me for being so busy and here I am. It’s properly shameful we’ve been dating a year we haven’t run together yet. I’ve barely seen your wolf form.” Nigel pouted.

 

“All right all right fine.”

 

Nigel jumped up and hummed triumphantly. “There we go, see was that so hard?” He cupped Craig’s chin. “If you’re really good there’ll be an extra treat in it for ya,” he added with a wink. Craig pursed his lips and hid his face in the crook of his shoulder. Nigel crouched down next to Charlie and poked his shoulder. Charlie snapped and nipped Nigel’s hand. “Hey hooch hound. We’re gonna go for a run, you got this?” Charlie groaned and sleepily waved his paw at them after bobbing his head up to check on Noah in the chair, Ruby still slumbering soundly against his belly.

 

Nigel ushered Craig downstairs and out the front door headed towards the estate woods, stopping briefly to smile gently at a giant portrait of Joseph Hoynes. “Joseph  was one of my first clients when I first got my business going. Didn’t really know him more than by reputation. But if Rose is anything like what she is in magazines and telly I bet Joseph would adore her.”

 

“How can ye say that when ye barely know ‘em?” Craig argued.

 

Nigel shrugged as they shut the front door. “Dunno. I just have a hunch is all.”

  
  
  
  



End file.
